PT Clinic Helps Musicians Strike The Right Chord

By Grace Collins '22, June 30, 2022

Physical therapy clinic offers free treatment to performing arts students.

A student providing treatment to an ankle

Associate Professor Mike Costello teaches techniques to physical therapy student clinicians while working with patients in the clinic.

(Photo by: Mike Grippi)

For students in a performance-based degree program like musical theatre or music performance, one unexpected obstacle they could run into is an injury from repetitive motion or overuse. When making the transition from high school to college, or preparing for an upcoming performance, the increase in practice hours can lead to muscle strains or aches. Fortunately for students like acting major Anna Riley ‘25 the Ithaca College Department of Physical Therapy offers a free walk-in clinic designated specifically to treat student performers.

Originally founded by retired associate clinic professor of physical therapy Nicholas Quarrier, the Performing Arts Walk-In Clinic in the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance aims to treat this underserved population of performers, including musicians, actors, and dancers. This service is critical because it’s estimated that, throughout their lifetime, 70%-80% of musicians will experience a performance-limiting injury — but not all of them have awareness or access to the treatment options available.

Michael Costello, associate professor of physical therapy, currently spearheads the clinic. Each week during the semester, he dedicates two hours to allow students from the School of Music and Department of Theatre Arts to seek evaluation and treatment for performance-related aches and injuries.

“It’s a fun group of people to work with, from a clinical point of view, there are really interesting problem-solving opportunities, and you get to bring awareness to training practices and concepts that can help prevent injury.”

Associate professor of physical therapy Michael Costello

“I have a bit of a performance background, and I find the population really interesting,” said Costello. “It’s a fun group of people to work with, from a clinical point of view, there are really interesting problem-solving opportunities, and you get to bring awareness to training practices and concepts that can help prevent injury.”

This clinic also serves as a valuable learning experience for physical therapy students in their fifth year of study. Each semester, the Integrated Clinical Experience course offers PT graduate students the chance to get hands-on practice diagnosing patients and developing plans of treatment, all under the supervision of a faculty member. During the spring 2022 semester, Costello was able to offer his graduate students the chance to work at the clinic, providing them with more diversity of clinical experience, and allowing performing arts students more opportunities for care.

For fifth-year physical therapy student Sarah Jennison ‘21, DPT ‘23, working in the clinic provides her with the opportunity to think on her feet and get experience treating a unique population.

“I was really excited when I got placed in the clinic,” Jennison said. “Usually when you work in outpatient, you have an assigned patient who comes in at a schedule time and you can prepare for the session. It’s really cool to be in the walk-in clinic and work on different cases and different patients without any prep. It’s really good practice for our clinical decision-making skills.”

“It's really cool to hear patients say that what we're doing is helping them feel better. In classes, we're reading about interventions or hearing that things are helpful, but it's particularly rewarding to see it actually working.”

Sarah Jennison ‘21, DPT ‘23

When working with performing arts patients, Costello and the students draw on a variety of treatment methods to develop plans to allow the patients to continue practicing without pain. One unique concept they’ll frequently incorporate into a treatment plan is mental imagery practice. Whether it’s a shoulder injury in a violinist or a dancer with knee pain, this combination pain management/stress management tool allows for the patients to visualize their practice without physically going through the motions, so they can still work to improve their skills without exacerbating their pain.

“Mental imagery practice can be a means for performers to continue to rehearse and prepare for their upcoming performance, which gives their physical body rest,” said Costello. “It’s a concept used widely in performance and sports psychology, where you’ll have the performer close their eyes and visualize the performance before they ever pick up their instrument.”

Anna Riley ‘25, who sought treatment when a previous ankle injury was causing her pain during dance classes, says she’s grateful for the opportunity to receive treatment right on campus. After seeing posters in Dillingham for the clinic, she came in to get evaluated. The PT students set up a treatment plan, and she returned for treatment weekly, experiencing less and less pain each time.

“It's really cool to hear patients say that what we're doing is helping them feel better,” said Jennison. “In classes, we're reading about interventions or hearing that things are helpful, but it's particularly rewarding to see it actually working.”