By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

A few seasons back on the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars”, a friend of a friend tore his bicep muscle while competing. I really didn’t know much about ballroom dancing at that point, apparently in opposition to the rest of America. That was the moment that I realized Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers may have been bonafide athletes after all, prone to all the same types of injuries. The list of celebrity injuries on the show is mounting by the season – injured ankles and feet, scratched eyes, ruptured Achilles tendons, and fractured knees and shins. Are celebrities really this accident prone and out of shape or are they just unprepared for the physical rigors of ballroom dancing on such an intensive schedule?

The good news for physical therapists, other than the increased business for those in Los Angeles, is the publicity. Physical therapists and by association traveling physical therapists, are getting the praise they deserve for their hard work in rehabilitating these types of injuries. In virtually every article concerning yet another “Dancing with the Stars” injury, the celebrity mentions their rehabilitation treatment with a PT. This show is taking the “weekend warrior” trend to a whole new level.

As the show’s popularity increases, along with other physically demanding reality shows like it, there will undoubtedly be even more injuries for the public hear about and hopefully learn from. How much stress, strain and repetitive movements is the human body expected to endure, especially in a body not used to it? Stay tuned!

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.