Résumé :
Background and Purpose: Circus injury research is limited. The purpose of this pilot cohort study was to describe injury frequency and characteristics related to specific circus discipline and similar sub-groups of artists based on discipline-specific physical stresses using the established IADMS injury surveillance guidelines and a novel classification for circus disciplines. Methods: Twenty-four circus artists [20 female mean (standard deviation) age 19.4 (7.7), 4 male 31.3 (2.5)] enrolled in the study. Participants were followed for one year. They submitted a weekly circus training log and circus-related injuries were assessed. Findings: Twenty-one participants completed the study (87.5%). Over the year, 47 total injuries were reported with an overall injury rate of 5/1000 exposures. Ground acrobatics was associated with 53.2% of all injuries. Clinical Relevance: Performing arts physical therapists should understand circus injury patterns and physical stresses related to different circus disciplines. Conclusion: Injury prevention strategies should initially focus on ground acrobatics.