Dr. Katelyn McMahon
Dr. McMahon is the director of our Dance and Performing Arts Rehabilitation program.
ServicesPhysical Therapy
Dance |
Dr. McMahon is the director of our Dance and Performing Arts Rehabilitation program. She obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from her Alma Mater, the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Through the course of her education she had the opportunity to gain clinical experience in pediatrics, acute care and rehabilitation, sports orthopedics and most recently had the opportunity to work with the "getting dancers back on pointe" program. Her interest in dance medicine was sparked by over 20 years spent in rigorous semi-professional ballet training programs, and several years of teaching ballet at the pre-professional level.
Dr. McMahon has organized injury prevention and awareness programs for local dance studios across the north shore and continues to expand her outreach, with the hopes of decreasing overuse injuries in adolescent dancers and performers, and raising awareness among teachers about the effects of incorrect alignment in the dance classroom. Dr. McMahon now offers a "Performing Arts Movement Screen" to dancers, figure skaters, gymnasts, cheerleaders and the like to evaluate functional core stability, joint alignment, muscle strength and flexibility, and muscle imbalances as it specifically applies to the arts. McMahon explains, "A dancer or a gymnast may walk into a physical therapy clinic with an injury, and to the untrained eye, he or she will appear to have normal strength and flexibility. What can be sometimes overlooked, is that the demands of these specific sports/arts, are by definition not normal. Thus a dancer must be evaluated during the execution of dance-type-movements, and likewise for a gymnast or a skater. Only then can a highly specialized rehabilitation or prevention program be developed, which can effectively meet the patient's needs." Dr. McMahon currently continues her dance education by taking classes, teaching classes, continuing to dance as a freelance artist for local companies, and through her membership in the Performing Artists Medical Association. As the newest member of the OFF-SEASON team, she brings a fresh outlook and a level of expertise to our dance medicine program that is unrivaled in the area. |