Injury Characteristics and Physical Therapy Management Strategies for Circus Artists: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy
• Circus Arts Research

Background:

• Circus arts participation is increasing globally across all age groups.
• Limited high-quality evidence exists for physical therapy evaluation and management of circus artist injuries.
• This review addresses the need for synthesized evidence on circus artist injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and summarize existing evidence on injury characteristics in circus artists.
• To review current physical therapy management strategies for injured circus artists.
• To map and synthesize the literature on circus artist injuries and their treatment.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane) and gray literature.
• Independent article selection by two authors, with a third author resolving conflicts.
• Concept mapping to identify key themes and data extraction focused on injury classification and treatment.

Main Results:

• 49 studies were included from 1095 retrieved titles, covering injury characteristics, risk factors, psychosocial variables, interventions, and screening.
• Acrobats performing ground elements showed the highest injury rates, with common sites including the shoulder, ankle, and spine.
• Identified intrinsic/extrinsic risk factors and psychosocial/lifestyle contributors, but treatment literature is sparse.

Conclusions:

• Evidence on injury patterns and characteristics in circus artists is available.
• The physical therapy management and treatment interventions for circus artists are poorly described.
• Significant gaps exist in screening, injury prevention, and intervention strategies for this population.