April 01, 2022

Clarkson University's Physical Therapy Department Collaborates with SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music on Wellness

C Clarkson University’s physical therapy department, in collaboration with Crane School of Music student musicians, is all set to promote health and wellness. The collaboration aims to conduct health screenings for the student musicians, to promote pain-free instrument playing and help prevent repetitive injuries.

“The collaboration between our programs is a win-win situation,” says Dana McGuire, Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at Clarkson University. “By participating in screening and education, our PT students have the opportunity to practice their skills and positively impact the musician community. The student musicians will receive preventive education based on assessment findings,” she adds.

…the student musicians will receive preventive education based on assessment findings…

This collaboration comes as one the firsts for McGuire, Tracy Lipke-Perry, Assistant Professor Crane School of Music, and Todd Perry, PT, DPT of Perry Physical Therapy Solutions and Adjunct Instructor of Physical Therapy at Clarkson University. The plan is to continue this work at Crane and hopefully extend it throughout the region in future.

The Crane School of Music, founded in 1886, is one of the premier music institutions in the country that produces finest music teaching specialists. The collaboration is an important one as they will be dealing with a profession where people playing musical instruments also have a high risk of musculoskeletal disorder. Just like sport, playing musical instruments also comes with a certain degree of pain and injury. The health screening will help identify these risk factors, address health issues and prevent future discomfort or injuries.

Clarkson’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program aims to train the next generation of physical therapists on how to efficiently diagnose mobility and pain-related disorders, prescribe exercise supported by hands-on techniques to optimise physical function, and prevent disease and disability across the lifespan. The curriculum will be that of problem-based learning, and will include hands-on clinical experience.

Posted in Collaborations and tagged Collaborations, US, Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music, Wellness
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