The hip is an important joint for dancers, providing a stability of mobility, stability and power. It’s a ball-and-socket joint the place the femur (thigh bone) meets the acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis. This design permits for a variety of movement, essential for extensions, splits and jumps. The joint is supported by ligaments, tendons, and lots of muscle mass such because the hip flexors, glutes and rotators, all of which have to work collectively to take care of power and management. The shut relationship with the pelvis implies that these two areas strongly affect one another.
Dancers place important stress on their hips by repetitive actions, frequent twisting, however primarily with excessive ranges of movement. Typical accidents for the hip space are labral tears, tendinopathies, impingements and muscle tears/strains.
With a constant regime of self-assessment and particular coaching, nevertheless, you’ll be able to decrease the danger of damage to your hips and hold kicking and leaping into the sundown!
Our method of Align – Transfer – Load addresses centering of the joint and purposeful vary, genuine motion patterns and method, after which including load to the coaching to enhance power. Whenever you look into coaching any space of the physique it’s possible you’ll wish to think about the method beneath. There are a few video examples for you.
Perceive the world.
The place to begin is to know the anatomy of the hips and your pure turnout vary. This video highlights the bones and muscle mass of the hip and pelvis:
Self-assessment
How they transfer, vary, pressure and really feel for any distinction between the fitting and left.
Create house and launch.
Launch tight areas which may be stopping full vary and the opposite muscle mass/fascia that join into this space. Mobilize into all instructions. (balls, foam curler, mobilizers, eccentric management)
Prepare stability.
Deal with the smaller muscle mass across the hip that management the joint by vary; this wants extra endurance model work. Take a look at management for psoas, iliacus and QF.
Prepare power.
Strengthen the hip in regular operate and full vary (squat, lunge, hinge). This video reveals a single leg squat – essential for any decrease limb coaching plan.
Be particular.
This the place we practice specifics for dance – turnout, leg elevations, splits, kick energy. This video reveals one kind of turnout coaching with the hip at 90.
At half a century, I’m nonetheless dancing and totally energetic regardless of a horrible trying hip MRI!
Please keep in mind, though we’re speaking about hips, the physique is totally interconnected and all joints speak and have an effect on all different joints of the physique. Your sore or ‘locked’ hip could also be a results of a foot, thorax or shoulder that doesn’t transfer correctly!
By Sally Harrison, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, Corrective Train Coach, Private Coach, Pilates Educator, of Band-ITS & Strength4Dance.
