SPECIALIST DANCE PHYSICAL THERAPY · PENNSYLVANIA
Specialist Dance Physical Therapy for Dancers Who Want More Than Pain Relief.
Dr. Sharon Tatum, PT, DPT, MPT, CCTT, is a certified dance physical therapist who knows that becoming pain-free in everyday life is not enough. Her goal is to get you back to dancing your heart out.
Certified Dance Physical Therapist
28+ Years Experience
In-Home and In-Studio Sessions
Serving Dancers Across Pennsylvania
For every Dancer
The Difference Between Moving Again and Dancing Again.
A dance injury is never just physical. It touches everything. Your sense of self. Your community. The place where you feel most alive and most free.
Whether this is your first time navigating an injury or you have been through this before, one thing is true: you deserve care from someone who understands not just your body, but what dance means to you.
Someone who knows that full recovery for a dancer is not walking without pain. It is moving without thinking. Feeling your mind, body, and soul flow as one again.
That is the difference Sharon brings to every single patient she works with. Sharon understands what dance means to you, not just what it demands of your body, and that is where your recovery begins.
A love for Dance
A Dance Physical Therapist Who Has Been in Your World
Sharon Tatum, PT, DPT, MPT, CCTT has been part of the dance world for most of her adult life. She was a breakdancer in the 1980s. Her daughter began ballet at five years old and has been dancing for over fifteen years. Sharon has been alongside that journey every step, learning the art form from the inside, taking up ballet lessons herself, and studying to become a certified dance PT specialist.
"Dancers are often hurt, and they work through their pain just to bring joy to other people. They are like little heroes in a way. It is their emotional and spiritual being, totally expressed. And that is why I want to be a part of helping them get back to their love of being a performing artist." Dr. Sharon Tatum, PT, DPT, MPT, CCTT
Sharon's Expertise
Understanding the Dance World
What she brings to every dancer she treats is not just clinical knowledge. It is years of watching what dance demands of a body, of understanding the culture of resilience and self-sacrifice that makes dancers exceptional patients and, sometimes, their own worst enemies when it comes to injury. She sees the whole picture: the art, the pressure, the stakes, and the body. (read more about Sharon on her bio page)
"I want to help you so that you are not in so much pain. I want to be a part of helping people to be able to perform and impart that joy to others." Dr. Sharon Tatum, PT, DPT, MPT, CCTT
Common Dance Injuries Sharon Treats
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Ankle sprains and instability
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Achilles tendonitis
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Plantar fasciitis
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Posterior tibial tendonitis
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Sesamoiditis
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Stress fractures of the foot and ankle
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Hip labrum tears and impingement
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Iliotibial band syndrome
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Patellofemoral syndrome
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Knee ligament sprains
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Lumbar spine pain and disc injuries
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Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
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Piriformis syndrome
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Snapping hip syndrome
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Hypermobility-related injuries
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Overuse injuries of the lower limb
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Scoliosis assessment and management
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Pre and post-surgical rehabilitation
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Patellar tendonitis
WHAT CERTIFIED DANCE PHYSICAL THERAPY ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
What Changes When Your Physical Therapist Understands Dance.
Sharon's dance physical therapy certification, combined with her 28+ years of patient experience and her personal immersion in the ballet world, means she can do something no general PT can: assess and rehabilitate a dancer against the actual demands of their discipline.
"It hit my heart the moment I walked in. I knew this was what I needed to do. I wanted to be one of those therapists, the ones who help the people nobody else can."
What his looks like in practice:
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She assesses what your body needs to do. - The question is never just "is the pain gone?" It is "can this dancer execute the movements their technique requires?" Sharon evaluates range of motion, strength, and movement quality against dance-specific benchmarks, not general population norms.
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She can come to your studio. - Sharon can conduct biomechanical analysis in your actual performance environment, watching you move through your choreography rather than a clinical assessment that bears no resemblance to what you do on stage. She sees what needs to be seen in the context in which it needs to be seen.
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She designs your rehabilitation around your return to performance. — Not your return to function. Your return to the specific movements, demands, and pressures of your discipline. Every exercise, every progression, every milestone is calibrated to what you actually need to do as a dancer.
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She educates you so the injury does not come back. — Sharon does not just treat the injury. She explains why it happened, what your body was compensating for, and what you need to do differently to prevent recurrence. You leave every session understanding your body better than when you arrived.
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Your Next Step
You Were Meant to Dance.
Not just to move. To transmute feeling into motion. To flow with your mind, body, and soul as one. To have the freedom to express everything you are, night after night, day after day. This is what Sharon is here to help you get back.
Reach out today, and Sharon will call you back, usually within 48 hours.