Karolin Krell is a qualified Osteopath and Physiotherapist working in private practise in London and lectures at the Osteopathic College Germany in Hamburg. She holds various postgraduate qualifications such as in Neurokinetic
Therapy -NKT®, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilisation, Proprioceptive
Neuromuscular Therapy and contributed to two forthcoming publications in
Osteopathy. She has just returned from assisting with the first NKT
course in Dubai, something she has assisted with previously in London
and NYC.
Karolin is currently a student on the MSc in Performing Arts Medicine
(PAM) programme, run by UCL in collaboration with BAPAM, RCM, TL and the
ISEH.
“I chose the course to further my research interests across the
Performing Arts Community”, she says. “For example in music, performance
enhancement is traditionally encouraged through intense practice
routines rather than complementary training focusing on the strength and
conditioning of the Artist. That’s a very different approach in
comparison to, say, dance.”
Karolin’s MSc research project is
exploring Sleep Disturbance amongst Performing Artists. For the study,
which uses the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, she is recruiting
Performers based both in the UK and internationally, including those who
regularly travel and cross time zones.
The study is also looking into
the effect of rehearsal and performance breaks, as these can affect
sleep patterns and performance quality. Different Performing Arts genres
are being studied to try and identify, for example, whether the extreme
physicality of dance counteracts the increased adrenaline levels
generated by any performance, and thus leads to dancers sleeping better
than musicians.
Karolin’s main passion is for acrobatics and dance
within the Performing Arts, she supported the Acrobats and Artists of
Zippo Circus and Cirque Berserk on site, something she says was also a
catalyst for her applying for the MSc in Performing Arts Medicine.
“Because they are constantly travelling but also often for financial
reasons, Circus Performers often can’t make great use of Osteopathy and
Physiotherapy”, she says. “At first some of them were quite suspicious –
you had to win their trust as their bodies and health means everything
to them - but quickly the Circus Family was really appreciative.”
Karolin is also very eager to enhance the importance of postural habits
and the physical well-being amongst dentists and their teams as those
also have to be able to tolerate unique working postures for prolonged
periods. Being a daughter of a dentist and orthodontist she is familiar
with strains and injuries that can occur due to work related postures.
She is very proud being an honorary speaker for the British Dental
Association (BDA) on Ergonomics in Dentistry to further raise the
importance in Ergonomics in the Dental Practise.
Karolin's research study is still looking for particpants. If you are interested in participating please click here
More information about the Performing Arts Medicine MSc
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