Last month, PhysioFirst’s , a clinical journal for physiotherapists working in private practice, published a special issue dedicated to performing arts medicine. It featured articles on how physiotherapy can help dancers, musicians, circus artists, and actors maintain health and remain injury-free. The issue also included an article authored by BAPAM assessing clinicians Lucie Rayner and Genevieve Tawiah, highlighting the role of physiotherapy in supporting voice performers.

Singers and actors are elite professional voice users or ‘vocal athletes’ as they need to consistently produce high-quality and technically demanding speech or song, often under difficult environmental conditions. Unfortunately, research shows that a high percentage of voice performers will experience a voice problem during their career. Vocal rehabilitation aims to restore voice function and often requires a multi-disciplinary team led by a laryngologist or speech & language therapist. The team may also include a singing teacher, a psychologist, and, increasingly, a physiotherapist. Vocal physiotherapy is an emerging speciality within the profession, and research has highlighted its effectiveness when supporting professional voice users with their vocal health or recovery from a voice injury.

What is Vocal Physiotherapy?

Voice production relies on several interconnecting systems to function effectively. Physiotherapists specialise in optimising physical function and can use their skills and knowledge in the following areas when supporting a voice performer:

• Manual therapy: to help reduce tension, pain, and restriction in key areas. This can include direct manipulation of the larynx and other more global structures and regions throughout the body.
• Exercise therapy: to help address muscle imbalance, postural problems, and strength or stability issues by providing tailored exercises and guidance.
• Respiratory support: to help promote optimal breathing for voice by supporting ease of movement in the spine/rib cage, healthy posture and efficient abdominal muscle support.
• Health promotion: to support the performer with healthy lifestyle practices integral to voice health, such as physical warm-ups, nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress management, and general fitness.

Physiotherapists can also help facilitate referral to a Ģ��tv voice clinic or other health professionals where appropriate. They are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), ensuring standards for education, training and practice.

 

You can read BAPAM Physiotherapists, Genevieve Tawiah and Lucie Rayner’s article in full here: InTouch: Vocal Physiotherapy.

We are grateful to PhysioFirst In Touch Journal for their kind permission to reproduce the article, which was first published in InTouch191, Spring 2026.

Find a Vocal Physiotherapist or Osteopath on the BAPAM Directory����

The BAPAM Practitioner Directory includes physiotherapists with expertise in performing arts medicine. If they are trained in vocal physiotherapy, this will be indicated in the practitioner’s biography. In addition, there are Osteopaths with expertise in voice on the Directory who work in a similarly holistic way and are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council.

If you are experiencing any vocal symptom lasting more than 2-3 weeks or persisting for more than two weeks after the resolution of an upper respiratory tract infection, you should seek professional help. Contact the BAPAM helpline to arrange a clinical assessment with one of our voice Ģ��tv assessing clinicians.

References:

Tawiah, G., & Rayner, L. (2026). Getting the word out: vocal physiotherapy. InTouch: Spring Edition: 191. p: 14-19.

Tawiah, G., & Rayner, L. (2025). The role of physiotherapy as part of a multidisciplinary team approach to vocal rehabilitation and care of the professional voice. Physiotherapy, 126, Article 101497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2025.101497.

Have you ever heard anyone utter, “The show must go on?”

If you’ve worked in a creative field, you’re probably nodding your head. Whether there’s been a costume malfunction or the set has collapsed, performers and artists are always ready to give their all.

However, this mentality raises more complex questions concerning performers’ mental or physical health. Often, artists push themselves through illness, leading to burnout, anxiety, or many health issues. Unlike other careers, a well-needed rest or sick day isn’t always available in the arts.

This problem becomes even more worrying for artists who work on a freelance basis. The gig economy has no time for rest days, and performers continually push their health boundaries to ensure ongoing projects are lined up.

 

Challenging the Status Quo

Some may think of this mentality as a dedication to the craft. But it’s also essential to optimise performance and rehearsal schedules as much as possible and rest when needed (managers take note!). Committing to a sustainable artistic practice means recognising how to prioritise your mental and physical health, and balance the demands of your career — only then can you give your best performance!

It’s time for artists and employers to prioritise wellbeing and recovery. We’re seeing a positive about the current system and how it can be improved with healthier work and rest boundaries. From raising awareness to implementing change, artists across the UK are ready to revolutionise the industry.

 

Wellbeing Tools For Performing Arts Professionals

BAPAM is a team of clinical Ģ��tvs dedicated to providing wellbeing and health services for performing arts professionals. Learn more about what we do today.

Want to take your health into your hands? Jump to our health resources to get started. From mental health assistance to performance health guides, we offer educational factsheets for all disciplines.

Are you a freelance performer, regularly working on short contracts and short-term engagements? BAPAM in collaboration with the  is organising an event looking at Occupational health in the performing arts. The industry is commonly termed the original gig economy as a huge proportion of the workforce are composed of freelance performers. There is also unfortunately a high number likely to become injured or have other health problems as a result of their work.

In traditional settings occupational health teams keep people well at work – physically and mentally. But when it comes to the gig economy the healthcare support for a performer may not be as certain.

Amongst other things this event on 27th March 2019 will be looking at the health and work needs of the self-employed, especially those working in this gig economy. As well as the current needs and experiences of performers when they are faced with ill health and also performance-related injury and how they can be treated back in to work.

 on to the event which promises to be a very useful day for all performers and clinicians working with performers.

• Interested in finding out more about occupational health and performing arts, there is a collection of resources on the subject on the ���ɱ�������ٱ�.