HIP STRENGTH & STABILITY FOR HYPERMOBILITY (Dancers, Gymnasts and Yogis)

If you have hip pain you need to stretch, right? After all, stretching fixes pain! Right?

Not so fast, Miss. Bendy-britches!

For some people stretching does NOT fix pain and sometimes makes it worse!

Most often these people are (current or former) gymnasts, dancers, and yogi's. Often female, but not always. The common denominator is; these people need extreme ranges of motion (ROM), but they don't get it in healthy ways.

Often, they seek to get this ROM at all costs.

This results in common wear-and-tear hip ailments like hip impingement (FAI), snapping hip syndrome, bursitis, labral tears, etc. Of course, these problems are often blamed solely on the shape of the femur and acetabulum. It is said that "bad bones + sports that require extreme ROM = guaranteed hip problems."

Having worked with thousands of people with every hip problem under the sun, we have not found that to be the case. More often, these problems stem from misuse (ignoring warning signs and pushing healthy limits) or improper technique. Even well-trained dancers are prone to these errors. They can even have weakness or imbalances in the muscles surrounding the pelvis and core. These weaknesses + improper technique can lead to chronic hip problems.

So if they doesn't need to stretch more...what do they do?

They must build stability, strength and motor control. Stretching and massage can still be helpful, but are of secondary importance. I tell these people to use traditional stretching and tissue work "as and when necessary."

By learning to strengthen and stabilize their hips: career longevity can be extended health preserved and protective tension (guarding) released.

So what are the exercises?

Rear leg lifts
Front leg lifts
Side leg lifts
Adductor lifts

I teach most of these while standing because yogi's, gymnasts and dancers need balance. You can also do easier versions on the ground. Once you master these basic exercises (and others we show in The FAI Fix program) you will enjoy much more hip stability and comfort.

Can this really help hip pain? What about my "bad morphology"? What about the cyst? The labral tear? The bony overgrowth? Don't these guarantee impingement and pain?

Not at all!

Your muscles and pelvic position are much more under your influence than you think. When you learn to coordinate everything in unison, hip centration (centering) occurs. When the hip is centered in the socket, it is less likely to impinge (pinch) and cause pain. In short, more centration = less pain...even with "bad bones."

Summary: Hip and pelvic stability goes well beyond 4 exercises. That is why we created an extensive program to help you restore hip health. However, I think these 4 are a great start for the gymnast, dancer, or yogi. I hope you find them helpful on your journey towards healthy, happy hips.