My fascination with all things related to pointe shoes grew during that time. This was partly because of my own story of having a genetic deformity in my feet causing severe bunions at a young age. Although never painful, I had been told when I was very young that I should never dance on pointe. Determined to try as an adult, my prosthetic tech friend (and a year later The Pointe Shop) worked with me to create magical comfort out of a physical situation that should have been a complete disaster. This inspired me to join the inaugural class of learning about pointe shoe fitting and later obtain a full certification with the Pointe Shop. I found that my medical knowledge was a helpful overlay for some things that dancers struggle with: not just their injuries, but their skin, their toenails, their nerve function, their nutrition, their hormones, their mental health and so much more. I joined the world of Dance Medicine and began to learn as much as I could from folks who were already pioneering the way in areas like physical therapy and nutrition.

I saw how these amazing athletes. . . these determined and talented gymnasts, ice-skaters, dancers and other performers. . . were some of the most injured athletes and yet simultaneously the most un-attended athletes in the medical world. They didn’t have primary care physicians or specialists who understood their mechanisms of injury nor appreciated their need for an expedited work-up. “Sit-it-out for awhile” and the hands-off approach was often advised, creating long and unnecessary delays in getting adequate care, loss of physical strength and hard-earned skills, and was mentally discouraging in a way that was more damaging to young performer than almost anything else. Teachers and parents were doing their best to be the advocates in a broken and frustrating system, but they weren’t sure where to go to be heard nor what to say to get the attention that was needed.

Other athletes had advocates in the system who understood their sport, and knew how to get them the care they needed, with return-to-play programs that were prompt and sport-specific. But dancers and gymnasts struggled to find doctors who really knew what dancers and gymnasts did. They didn’t have volunteer docs on the side-lines of their performances waiting to ice and tape them and evaluate them for concussions. And it was rare to find a physical therapist or trainer who understood the differences in how their body moved, or what was being asked of them in class or on the stage when they returned, and so weeks of rehab still didn’t translate into a successful transition back into the studio or their career.

Thankfully, the Dance Medicine world was already growing and working to improve this situation for the better. . .and not just for the dancers, but for musical theatre performers, gymnasts, ice-skaters, and more.

But there is still one major problem: Where are the family doctors and the pediatricians? Where are the primary care providers? Who is functioning as the quarterback for the patient, staying at the hub and able to direct or advise about all the moving parts in our difficult and disconnected system? Unfortunately that responsibility is on the patient (or their parents), and the current system is not only full of obstacles, but confusing and discouraging messages. Patients have to battle feelings of frustration, confusion, apathy (not getting anywhere, might as well give up), anxiety, and feeling alone while navigating their health concerns.

These negative emotions themselves will interfere with a person’s ability to heal. And I realized this is where I could help.

Negative emotions are like wearing dead-weights while swimming a marathon in an ocean. It’s the last thing you need. What you need is a lifejacket (buoyancy!), to make it through your injury or illness and to thrive in your health. Someone to provide hope and to resolve confusion, someone to take away the frustration by advocating and collaborating on your behalf. Someone to take away the anxiety by really listening and providing expertise and mapping out a clear path forward.