Q: I don’t have the turnout I wish I had. I’m somewhat knock-kneed and I’m wondering if this is affecting my rotation. A: Being knock-kneed does not determine the amount of turnout you have at the hip, but it will influence how easily you can stand in fifth and third positions. Both positions are a […]
Q: Despite stretching, my knees stay at least a foot off the ground when I sit or lie down in butterfly. When I gently push my knees down, I feel a sharp pain deep in the hip joint. What can I do? A: There are wide variations in hip-joint shapes and facings. The socket can […]
Q: One of my older students has pain in her right hip whenever she does a front battement or the splits, or when in downward dog. What do you think is going on? A: My best guess is that your student probably has an inflamed bursa (a fluid-filled sac that lies between tendons and bones […]
Q: I have a friend who was diagnosed with a labral tear. She said it’s becoming more common among dancers. Is there a way to prevent this? A: Labral tears are being diagnosed more often because our ability to see inside the hip capsule with arthrograms and MRIs is getting better. That being said, I […]
When I am lying down on my back with my feet together and knees apart and press down on my knees, my hips pop. It feels really good. However, now when my hips don’t pop, they hurt, and my lower back starts to hurt as well. What do I do to get them to pop, […]
Our hips are overachievers. They are the main source of turnout and the axis of all leg movement. Dancers work them hard. No one knows this better than Heather Heineman, physical therapist at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Medical Center. She treats all kinds of hip injuries in dancers, frequently from […]