Cincinnati.com Feature - Is playing violin as dangerous as football?

Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar

Excerpt from Cincinnati.com Feature - Is playing violin as dangerous as football?

Research in the performing arts still lags behind sports, believes voice pathologist Wendy LeBorgne, adjunct assistant professor of musical theater at CCM.

She consults with vocal students at CCM and also works with Broadway stars, notably in the current touring production of the hit show “Hamilton.”

“If you’re a female soccer player under age 18, we know the most common injury is a torn ACL. In the performing arts world, we don’t have as much information related to injury,” LeBorgne said.

Her most common question at CCM is, “Is it safe for me to perform?”

“Just like a runner or a dancer on a sprained ankle, they can get through it and nobody’s going to be the wiser. You can sing around the injury, but if you sing eight shows a week – and that happens often for Broadway performers -- the challenge is how can you do what you have to do safely? And when is it time to call out for a performance?”