Alexandra MacPherson ’21, DPT’23, Combines Two Passions to Help Performers Heal
By Judith Kelliher
While a junior in high school, Alexandra MacPherson ’21, DPT’23, was very active dancing 10-15 hours a week at a local dance studio and playing soccer for the school team. But an ACL injury suffered during a soccer game derailed those activities, which at the time were a huge part of her identity.
While a setback, her recovery process with a physical therapist (PT) ended up, fortuitously, leading her to a unique and exciting career path as a touring physical therapist at Neuro Tour Physical Therapy, Inc. Neuro Tour is a global entertainment and performing arts medicine company hiring physical therapists and athletic trainers to work on national tours for Broadway shows and famous artists, such as Katy Perry, or in clinics in New York City, Nashville, or London.
“All of a sudden, I couldn’t even walk. My physical therapist gave me a light at the end of the tunnel, and during my own rehab process, I realized that being a PT was the perfect career for me,” MacPherson said. “I always loved science and movement and at that point I wasn’t sure I had what it took to dance professionally. And being a health care professional was inviting, but I had no idea what area I wanted to go into.”
The Springfield College Dance/Pre-PT to DPT program offered her a solution.
Through her PT rehab process, she realized that a typical PT likely did not have the specific education to understand the higher-level demands and atypical body mechanics that dancers need to accomplish complex choreography. MacPherson knew after eight-plus months of her ACL rehab that she wanted to become a PT and focus in the performing arts.
“I wanted to be a resource for performers to have a clinician who really understands their unique physical and mental demands. Unfortunately, the arts world is highly underserved, and I feel my purpose in life is to bridge the gap between what athletes and artists receive for preventive and rehabilitative care,” she said. “My combined degree deepened my understanding of the human body even further and allowed me to connect what I was learning about anatomy, physiology, and movement to everything I did in dance classes.”
During her time at Springfield College, the Dance Department also collaborated with the Physical Therapy program to conduct evaluations and provide rehabilitative programs for dancers. This collaboration was eye opening for MacPherson because she realized many of her peers didn’t understand the differences between a “normal” body compared to the “dancer” body, and that knowledge could be transformative for evaluation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.
“My dance classes also provided me with cultural awareness, body awareness, and community building strategies that have impacted who I am as a person and a clinician. Being a part of both majors was a challenge and forced me to build skills in time management, mental grit, and discipline which are skills I use in my life and career daily,” she said.
At Neuro Tour, MacPherson works evenings and full days on Saturdays and Sundays at theaters for touring Broadway shows across many U.S. cities to provide PT services to cast, band, and crew members. On Saturdays and Sundays, she works a full day because of the addition of matinee performances. Appointments begin two hours before a show in 30-minute slots and continue until the show ends. Sessions begin with quick objective tests and subjective histories followed by manual therapy, such as soft tissue work and dry needling. Patients are then led through corrective exercises and educated on rehabilitative exercise and recovery strategies. During a show, she often treats swings (also known as understudies) and the crew. She also received additional training in emergency medicine during Neuro Tour’s fellowship to prepare to be the medical first responder onsite. In the event someone gets hurt, she can evaluate and determine if that person can continue to perform or if emergency medical services should be called.
Working as a touring PT has benefitted MacPherson’s own health and wellness outside of her work. With such a physically demanding job, her responsibilities motivate her to eat nutrient-dense foods and go to the gym and practice yoga and breathwork so that she can have a long, pain-free career.
To someone considering the College’s dual-degree program, MacPherson acknowledges it’s not easy, but she feels the reward is better than anyone could ever imagine. She notes that more people are needed in the field, people who are eager to help, listen, and aid in changing the culture of physical therapy in the performing arts world.
“Being someone who understands performers is life-changing to a lot of our patients, and they are so grateful to have someone who deeply understands them. These patients are often suffering for years and feel like they aren't being heard because they might be insanely strong and mobile, but perform through pain,” she said. “We know that those experiences don’t have to be the norm even though it is for many performers, musicians, and crew. Helping support someone from injury or chronic pain to getting back on stage feeling healthy and happy is an amazing journey.”
