Pain Science and Management for Circus Artists w/Beth Shum, HCPC, MCSP , Circus Physio, and NHS Pain Science Specialist

Beth HCPC, MCSP, (in the US this would be kind of akin to DPT) and I discussed pain science and how it comes into play for professional and recreational circus artists and aerialists answering these questions below:

Pain perception - how do you describe and define pain? 

What is the bare minimum you think a circus artist, coach, and physio should know about pain (and how to assess it) as it relates to circus artists? 

How do we know what is “okay” pain vs. bad pain? 

What are patterns of pain among circus artists and aerialist?

How does fear interact with pain in circus and aerial?

When circus artists are experiencing pain, how can we expect that to impact performance and motor control? 

What trends do you see in your practice among circus artists? Is there more pain masking, endurance coping, or avoidance coping? 

What are the pros and cons of pain masking vs. distraction as analgesic?

What are some methods for addressing pain?

Sleep → how do we support sleep