Chicago, U.S.A. — Even before shows like “Dance Moms” and “America’s Got Talent” entertained viewers, generations of young boys and girls have grown up with dreams of stardom in dance, theatre or music, but those who follow their dreams know that it takes years of mental and physical discipline and, as one osteopathic physician (DO) points out, it also strains their developing bodies.

During the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) OMED 2012, the Osteopathic Medical Conference & Exposition, Rebeccah R. Rodriguez, DO, an AOA board-certified family physician and company physician for the San Diego Ballet, the Academy of Performing Arts of San Diego and the San Diego Symphony, discussed the stress that training in the performing arts puts on adolescents’ bodies and how to prevent injuries.

“As a former professional dancer, I absolutely encourage young artists to follow their dreams,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “But parents should be aware of the potential for injury and discuss their child’s artistic goals and training with their physician so they can work together to treat injuries early.”

There are certain injuries that are unique to each genre of the performing arts. For instance, advanced ballerinas— who can spend an average 35-40 hour per week dancing— are prone to strained hip flexor muscles and pain in their knees due to repeatedly turning out their legs to 180 degree angles. Dr. Rodriguez believes that treating injuries early can help avoid further complications, but she also reminds dancers to discuss their upcoming roles or performances with their physician so they can ensure their bodies will be able to handle the physical demands.

In the case of singers– who run the risk of vocal cord injuries, chronic laryngitis and nodules or cysts forming on vocal cords due to overuse– Dr. Rodriguez suggests avoiding whispering or yelling, and cutting out spicy foods and drinking 10-12 glasses of water daily as soon as they start to experience hoarseness, which is often the first sign of a vocal issue. They should also talk to their physician about prescribing a medication that is not drying (i.e. antihistamines), which can also irritate the vocal cords.

“The level of skill and competition for young performers is so much greater than it was even five years ago,” adds Dr. Rodriguez. “As the talent bar is raised, adolescents are at greater risk for injuries.”

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Grammy Award-winning band Train is gearing up for the group’s San Francisco 2012 Tour, a special hometown run of club shows, in expectation of the upcoming album CALIFORNIA 37, out April 17 on Columbia Records. The band kicks off six intimate performances in San Francisco starting April 10 at Cafe Du Nord and finishing up April 15 at the Fillmore.

A portion of the ticket sales proceeds will go to the San Francisco charity Family House, which provides temporary housing to families of seriously ill children. Train referenced their commitment to the Bay area and their fans where they began their illustrious career in 2009′s multiplatinum album, SAVE ME, SAN FRANCISCO. Full list of dates below. The band is also revealing the CALIFORNIA 37 cover art on trainline.com (and attached here).

The first single from CALIFORNIA 37, “Drive By,” continues to climb the radio charts and has already entered the Top 10 at both the AAA and HOT AC formats. It is also charting at Top 40 and moving up quickly.  “Drive By” has sold over 200,000 singles since its release in January.

The “Drive By” video premiered on VH1 on February 18 and has gone into rotation there and with support from VEVO. Internationally “Drive By” has been embraced in the UK, Canada, Japan, France, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries.

Train is heading to the premiere NASCAR event, the Daytona 500, on February 26 when lead singer Pat Monahan will perform the national anthem before thousands of fans live and millions watching on television. The Daytona 500 will air at 1:00pm EST on Fox.

The multiplatinum band TRAIN made its mark on music history with their GRAMMY-Award-winning song “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” and chart-topping singles “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels.” Train earned their third GRAMMY in 2011 for the worldwide smash “Hey Soul Sister” from SAVE ME, SAN FRANCISCO. “Hey Soul Sister” was the biggest selling single of 2010 and hit #1 at radio in the US and in 15 countries abroad.

SAVE ME, SAN FRANCISCO has sold over one million albums worldwide and over ten million tracks.  In addition to taking the sales and radio worlds by storm, Train has been all over television.

They have performed on the NFC Championship Game, American Music Awards, the Grammy Nomination Concert, Crossroads, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Monday Night Football, A&E Private Sessions, America’s Got Talent, The View, Dancing With The Stars, and Live With Regis and Kelly, Ellen DeGeneres Show , The Bachelor, Rachael Ray and more.

TRAIN PRESENTS THE SAN FRANCISCO TOUR

APR 10 – Cafe Du Nord
APR 11 – Great American Music Hall
APR 12 – Bimbo’s
APR 13-  Slim’s
APR 14 - Independent
APR 15 - Fillmore

Image Courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/Train

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