Getting Geeky About The Hips

I am one of those super geeks that call up my mates (people who should get the Nobel prize for being brainy) to talk about anatomy.

I'm not joking, there are few things I love more

I've been calling these awesome clinicians and I've been quizzing them about the hips and pelvis.

One of the questions I love to ask is,

"What are you seeing more of in-clinic?"

The answer was a little shocking:

"LAXITY! People are overstretching. The ligamentous capsule that wraps around the joint is compromised because people are forcing unnatural ranges of motion (ROM) into the joint and they haven't developed the adequate control of these new ranges."

She continued...

"As the ligaments weaken the joint no longer lives in the middle of the socket. Depending on the person's habitual pattern the joint might migrate too far forward or too far back. This isn't an issue once in a while, but if the same pattern is done excessively for years, over time the articular surfaces of the joint change and might develop wear and tear, and impingement, or labral damage..."

See that sock-like ligamentous structure wrapping around the hip in this pic? This is what she was talking about.

If it gets overstretched, you'd better have strong muscles keeping the joint where it's meant to be.

The problem is yoga loves a passive stretch and abstains from loaded movements through the range.

Now, this is not to say all yoga is bad! It's the excessive, passive joint angles that yoga demands that are problematic.

Armed with this knowledge we can make some simple changes to keep our hips happy into old age.

Avoid a Hip Replacement

Whatever you're using to maintain your poses passively (ie, using the floor, prop or hand), remove that variable and see if you can hold the shape with nothing else but your muscles.

If the joint angle is less impressive without the support, it's time to reign in the ego, get rid of the support altogether, and teach your body to control the ROM with your muscles!

If you love learning this kind of stuff but want MORE I taught a 3 hour workshop all about the anatomy and biomechanics of the hips.

Click here to join in the geeky fun....

Love,
Celly x