The hip is a crucial joint for dancers, providing a steadiness of mobility, stability and energy. 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 tissues such because the hip flexors, glutes and rotators, all of which have to work collectively to take care of energy and management. The shut relationship with the pelvis signifies 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 reduce the chance of damage to your hips and preserve kicking and leaping into the sundown!
Our strategy of Align – Transfer – Load addresses centering of the joint and useful vary, genuine motion patterns and method, after which including load to the coaching to enhance energy. While you look into coaching any space of the physique chances are you’ll need to take into account the method under. There are a few video examples for you.
Perceive the realm.
The place to begin is to know the anatomy of the hips and your pure turnout vary. This video highlights the bones and muscle tissues of the hip and pelvis:
Self-assessment
How they transfer, vary, stress and really feel for any distinction between the suitable and left.
Create area and launch.
Launch tight areas that could be stopping full vary and the opposite muscle tissues/fascia that join into this space. Mobilize into all instructions. (balls, foam curler, mobilizers, eccentric management)
Prepare stability.
Give attention to the smaller muscle tissues across the hip that management the joint by vary; this wants extra endurance type work. Take a look at management for psoas, iliacus and QF.
Prepare energy.
Strengthen the hip in regular operate and full vary (squat, lunge, hinge). This video exhibits a single leg squat – essential for any decrease limb coaching plan.
Be particular.
This the place we prepare specifics for dance – turnout, leg elevations, splits, kick energy. This video exhibits one sort of turnout coaching with the hip at 90.
At half a century, I’m nonetheless dancing and totally lively regardless of a horrible wanting 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.
