Performing arts professionals face unique physical and mental demands that can, unfortunately, increase their risk of injury while working. The good news is that many of these risks can be mitigated with simple evidence-backed strategies.
Performing arts medicine clinicians and professionals focus on preventing these injuries before they happen, helping performers maintain their health and sustain their careers. These strategies often include healthy performance training techniques and addressing the causes of musculoskeletal strain, repetitive stress, vocal tension, and other performance-related conditions.
Overall, prevention and early action ensure artists can perform at their best while reducing long-term health risks. Here’s everything you need to know as a performing artist.
Understanding the Importance of Injury Prevention
Preventive care is central to performing arts medicine, especially when it reduces the possibility of injuries.
One part of injury prevention is early assessment. Timely intervention and monitoring allow performers to identify and manage potential problems before they become serious, which is essential in careers that rely on the body.
Likewise, performers can create tailored prevention strategies to help manage their workload and reduce strain and the risk of burnout. This helps you maintain professional longevity, but it’s always best to work with a professional when creating a strategy, as what works best for your body and schedule might not be the same as what works best for another performer.
Many performers use the Performing Arts Health Greatest Hits to inform their routine. These are five ways to reset and refocus for the best version of yourself.
If you’re not already adding injury prevention into your toolkit, this is your sign to begin! Fewer injuries lead to a healthier lifestyle and support more sustainable creative practice.
BAPAM’s Healthy Practice Diary can help you set achievable health goals and embed injury prevention into your daily routine.
See more of BAPAM’s factsheets and resources here.
Upcoming Training and Workshops for Performing Artists
BAPAM is committed to giving performers practical tools to stay healthy.
Our free training events this spring focus on preventing injuries and supporting wellbeing:
1. Vocal Health for Singers and Professional Voice Users
Singers and professional voice users are at particular risk of vocal overload, especially in high-demand environments.
This workshop explores techniques to protect the voice, identify common risk scenarios, and make workplace adjustments, helping performers prevent vocal strain and long-term injury.
The workshop will be led by Lucie Rayner, a vocal health expert Chartered Physiotherapist and BAPAM assessing clinician, with Besfort Williams, an industry expert coach and teacher on the musical theatre BA Hons course at Arts Educational.
When: February 25th, 10:30 am to 11:45 am.
2. The Wellbeing Series for Actors and Stage Management
This online series of six workshops covers mental health and sustainable practice, with sessions on coping with rejection, depression, ADHD and neurodiversity, body image, bullying, and vocal health. Each session provides practical strategies for maintaining wellbeing in demanding creative environments.
The first session is hosted by Heather Turkington, a Dramatherapist working with performers through the BAPAM Directory, and with the NHS as a Psychological Trauma Therapist, and it will cover coping with rejection.
When: March 2nd, 06:00 pm to 07:15 pm.
Join a BAPAM Workshop
All these workshops are free to attend, thanks to BAPAM’s partnerships with organisations such as the Actors’ Trust, Royal Society of Musicians, and others across the UK. The workshops offer performers, creators, and stage professionals the knowledge and support they need to enjoy healthy, sustainable careers with as few injuries as possible!
Learn more about healthy practice training and see more BAPAM events here.
Preventing Injuries in the Performing Arts
BAPAM’s approach combines clinical expertise with practical training to prevent injuries before they occur.
From expert-led workshops to accessing BAPAM’s online resources, performing artists and industry professionals can take an active role in safeguarding their health, ensuring they can continue to create and inspire for years to come.