sore hip flexors & grand battement
There are a few slots left for the Analyze This workshop, June 19-21. Check the workshop link on the website for more information. Also…. I will be teaching a workshop in Boston, one day, Wednesday, July 8th. More info about that workshop will be posted shortly on the website – so keep checking back!
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My dance teacher told me to write to you to ask for some physiology advice. I have super sore hip flexors, and I can’t seem to disengage them. Every time I do a grand battement, I can’t figure out how to relax the flexors and engage the gluts and rotators. Even driving hurts, because I seem to push the petal from my hip flexor. I’m trying to engage my abdominals, gluts and rotators and relax the back and hip flexors, and doing little exercises to practice, but I can’t ever disengage the flexors, it’s like every movement starts there. So, it’s nice to be aware of the problem and consciously work on it, but do you have any exercises or tricks to help me tone the muscles that I haven’t been using and relax the traps, back and most importantly the hip flexors? Thanks so much, Sydney
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Great question, Sydney. Let’s go to work to correct some misconceptions and give you some suggestions you can use.
The hip flexors are in the front of the body. The photo to the left is of the iliopsoas muscle, which is comprised of both the iliacus and the psoas major and 
minor. The picture on the right is of the quadriceps – what most people think of the front of the thigh muscles.
When you do a grand battement, or a tendu to the front, or even bending the knee and lifting the foot off the ground like a parallel passé, the hip flexor muscles contract and shorten. They are the primary muscles that create that movement. So during a grand battement, they are the muscles that are working the hardest to bring your leg up in front. If they don’t work (or contract) no grande battement.
I remember hearing from my early dance years, ‘lift your leg from underneath’. I now know that this is impossible – that the muscles underneath the leg are the hip extensors and they take the leg to the back. You cannot lift the leg to the front with any muscle that is in the back – they are the ones that have to stretch to allow the front muscles to lift your leg up!
What I think you were referring to in your question was wanting a balance of muscle work between the front and the back. If we overuse the hip flexors all the time, they tend to get bulky – and sore – as you described.
So what makes for sore hip flexors? Sometimes you overuse the hip flexors because you have tightness in the muscles at the back of the leg, the hamstrings and calf muscles. Sometimes you overwork the hip flexors because you have a pattern of tucking under and ‘holding’ all your muscles in contraction as a way of standing up straight.
Did you know that to stand in first position without moving, the only muscles that will be turned on slightly are the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) the iliopsoas (deep hip flexor) and external rotators (deep turnout muscles) They will turn on and off to keep you standing easily – pretty much you are balancing on your bones. So I would check if you are a dancer who is overworking everything that she does instead of using just enough effort to get the job done.
So what are some suggestions?
1. Focus on stretching the hip flexors, rather than strengthening.
2. Focus on developing deeper core strength with the abdominals to keep your pelvis placed properly over your legs.
3. Check for tightness of the hamstrings and stretch them
4. If you are in a growth spurt – be gentle with yourself – and know that alignment is more important at these times than the height of the leg. If you muscle the leg up – you’ll get sore hip flexors.
The fact you are aware that you need to release tension around your shoulders and upper back tells me that you are probably working too hard to make the movement happen. If there are any pilates reformer studios around that you could have a couple of sessions with – that could go a long way to experiencing efficient alignment with appropriate muscle engagement.
Even working a floor barre, with a theraband around your leg might be useful. When you are doing a floor barre, your spine is lengthened and relaxed, your core abdominals are working mightily – and you can feel quickly if you are tucking under or trying to muscle the legs up.
Your standing position before you ever move into demi plie or tendu is very important. Can you stand without excessive tension in the muscles? How is your balance?
Anatomical alignment is the foundation to improving your technique and I would start there!
Warmest regards,
Deborah
“Education is the key to injury prevention”
January 14th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I am 37 years old and danced for many years. I stopped for about 7 years and now take class once a week just for the enjoyment. For the last year or so I have been having hip flexor pain if I sit for long periods of time. When I stand up I have to do so very slowly and stretch the front of my left hip for a bit before I can walk. If I try to put weight on my left leg before it is ready I have extreme pain and cannot put weight on it. Any thoughts on what the problem is? Should I chalk it up as age? I do work out about 4 days a week. Mostly with a tape that mixes kick boxing, dance, and yoga. It is supposed to be specifically for working on your butt. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
January 14th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
It sounds like your iliopsoas muscle. I would try doing a sitting variation on the runners lunge before you get up. See if that makes a difference in your ability to straighten up faster. 37 is not old!