Providing Holistic and Evidence-Based Care
Dr. Paulina Tselikis on the Significance of PT For Dancers
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Preparing to dance safely long-term involves more than just what happens in the studio. Engaging in activities that promote holistic physical and mental wellness are important supplements to a dancer’s career. Dr. Paulina Tselikis and the rest of the team at The PATH Rehab & Performance know this well. Paulina and the rest of the specialists at The PATH are dedicated to serving clients who are committed to achieving their personal athletic goals, whether that’s coming back after an injury, preventing one from occurring, and more.
Paulina describes herself as a “late bloomer” when it comes to dancing. She took ballet classes growing up but also dabbled in a variety of sports, including soccer, tennis, and swimming. Throughout middle school and a good portion of high school, Paulina dedicated her extracurricular time to competitive swimming. “Then, in high school, I injured my back and could no longer swim,” she recounts. Paulina visited doctors and physical therapists and described feeling “disheartened to go back to swimming.” “I just didn’t really have that much interest in going back into it,” she describes. During that time, Paulina began taking some dance classes at her high school, as they had a studio space and a pretty well-developed dance program.
“Dance was my way of relieving stress. It was my passion, that’s how I relieved anxiety,” Paulina explains. “I was able to step away from everything and just have fun.” One of her good friends encouraged her to audition for the dance team. Still feeling a little lost after stopping swimming, she decided to pursue the dance team, unsure about where it would lead her. Paulina ended up making the varsity division, which allowed her to further cultivate her passion for dance.
“Being able to help someone achieve their goals [and] get back to what to what they really love, it’s just so rewarding, I think for me, that’s the best part.”
As a career, Paulina knew that becoming a professional dancer wasn’t something she wanted to pursue. She was more interested in following a science- and healthcare-oriented path. Towards the end of high school and the beginning of college, she felt emboldened to pursue a career where she could help dancers and performing artists. So, in college, she studied athletic training and became a certified athletic trainer, later going into physical therapy. While in PT school, Paulina worked with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which solidified her desire to work with professional performing artists. In her personal life, Paulina has continued taking dance classes here and there and has gotten more involved with aerial arts.
Paulina explains that physical therapy involves “helping someone get back to what they want to do” and “giving them guidance.” Unfortunately, many people are told that they have to quit sports after facing an injury. “Being able to help someone achieve their goals [and] get back to what they really love, it’s just so rewarding,” Paulina says. “I think for me, that’s the best part.” She enjoys being able to create connections and foster relationships with the people she works with, as the PT process can be an incredibly emotional one.
“I think doing preventative work and [focusing on] holistic health and wellness is so important,” Paulina says. “The difference in the longevity of a sport is being able to stay on top of things.” This idea is what inspired Paulina and her partners to start The PATH Rehab & Performance. Paulina and the rest of the providers at The PATH are dedicated to offering a “holistic, evidence-based approach to treat the entire person rather than the diagnosis.” “We want people to come to understand that when they come to us they’re going to be treated as [a] person,” Paulina says, stressing that the team works hard to cultivate a “family” atmosphere.
Within Paulina’s practice, she serves an array of performers in the dance community. Dancers can receive maintenance care, where they undergo preventative injury screenings, as well as traditional rehabilitation PT. Whether individuals are new to dance or seasoned veterans, they’re welcome to receive care. Paulina wants to be a resource for people in the dance community, a beacon of education and service.
Paulina says she thinks that many people don’t fully understand what physical therapy entails, sharing that PT often involves more than just receiving hands-on treatment and possibly 1-2 corrective exercises. Modern PT has much to offer individuals on their road to recovery. Paulina says that many dancers may fear that physical therapists will tell them that they can no longer dance, but she stresses that that’s not her goal as a PT. Rather, her mission is to educate dancers and get them back to doing what they love.
Paulina understands dancers’ hesitations to undergo physical therapy, as historically, PTs weren’t educated on what dance training entails because dancers weren’t perceived as elite athletes. “I think that’s definitely changed and it’s continuing to change,” Paulina says of this misconception.
“I’m very passionate about strength training, and implementing that in a form of cross-training for dancers and performing artists,” Paulina says of a change she hopes to see in the dance world. Through her work, she hopes to change some of the stigma behind strength training and teach dancers that it’s a key way of preventing injuries. According to Paulina, holding workshops and seminars to train teachers on how to implement cross-training into their classes will be a useful way to achieve this goal. “I really hope that within my career, I can help start that change, at least in our local community. That would be great,” Paulina says.
