Circus Performers as Highly Skilled Athletes: An Analysis of Physical Loads and Health Risks

Citation: Andrey Lyamin, "Circus Performers as Highly Skilled Athletes: An Analysis of Physical Loads and Health Risks", Universal Library of Arts and Humanities, Volume 03, Issue 01.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The article conceptualizes circus performance practice as a form of high-performance athletic activity in which a trick action constitutes a complex biomechanical event requiring the integration of strength and power capacities, flexibility, neuromuscular coordination, sensorimotor stabilization, and high tolerance to fatigue. The aim of the study is to substantiate an applied analytical framework for examining physical loads and injury prevention in highly skilled athletes within circus disciplines. Methodologically, the study is conducted as a narrative synthesis of contemporary scientific articles and doctoral-level research in the fields of circus medicine, biomechanics, and professional training pedagogy, with priority given to epidemiological and prospective study designs and to exposure-based metrics. Particular emphasis is placed on the significance of traumatic brain events: a decade-long epidemiology of concussion demonstrates a measurable incidence per artist-performance exposure, the presence of recurrent concussions, and average timelines for return to full performance, which necessitates the formalization of «removal-assessment-return» protocols specifically adapted to the stage-performance context. Genre-specific analysis identifies critical zones of overload: in aerial disciplines, the scapulohumeral complex is at heightened risk of tendinopathies and impingement conditions due to cumulative stabilizer fatigue and disruption of the scapulothoracic rhythm; in floor-based acrobatics, the lower extremities and lumbar spine are predominantly affected as a result of peak ground reaction forces and repetitive landings. The conclusions substantiate the importance of shifting from assessments based on «training intensity» toward exposure management and the implementation of a multilevel medical-pedagogical monitoring system aligned with contemporary recommendations in circus biomechanics and physiology, as well as with Ukrainian approaches to organizing circus training in higher education institutions of an artistic profile.

Keywords: Epidemiological Surveillance; Organizational Determinants of Injury; Psychoprophylaxis in Performing Professions; Return-to-Stage Protocols; Sensorimotor Integration; Touring Cycle.

https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulahu.2026.0301001