Dance Anatomy & Kinesiology

212 Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology

conditioning exercises, it is important to remember

that due to the previously described attachments of

the hip muscles, particular attention needs to be paid

to using the abdominals and other necessary muscles

to maintain a stable pelvis and spine. To avoid redun-

dancy, this need for lumbopelvic stabilization has not

been listed under technique cues for all the exercises

in tables 4.5 and 4.7, but it is essential for exercise

effectiveness and safety.

Strength Exercises for the Hip

Supplemental hip strengthening is particularly

important for the dancer because dance requires

strength to hold the limbs in high ranges of motion

that are not utilized in activities of daily living. For

example, walking only utilizes about 40° of hip flex-

ion and 12° of hip abduction (Hamill and Knutzen,

1995), inadequate to develop the strength to raise

the leg above 90° desired in key dance vocabulary

such as front or side extensions. The dancer might

selectively choose to strengthen one or two areas in

order to improve a specific movement. However, for

the more advanced dancer, the ideal program should

be balanced and designed to include exercises for

each of the key muscle groups of the hip: the hip

flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors, external

rotators, and probably the internal rotators.

Screening Test for Hip Flexor Flexibility

A test is shown for measuring passive flexibility

of the hip flexors. For some dancers, the con-

straints will also be the hip ligaments and joint

capsule. With the dancer in a supine position

with one hip over the edge of the table, one

knee is bent and held at the chest to help main-

tain a neutral pelvis while the examiner uses

one hand on the other knee to help bring the leg

toward the floor and the hip into hyperextension

as shown in B. For a more precise test of the

hip hyperextension range, the movement must

be isolated to the hip versus the lumbosacral

joint, and the pelvis should not be allowed to

anteriorly tilt.

The axis of the goniometer is placed on

the greater trochanter, the stationary arm

horizontally along the side of the trunk and the

movable arm along the outer thigh. A reading

of 0° refers to the position when the thigh is

horizontal; negative degrees would indicate that

the thigh is angled up from the horizontal; and

positive degrees would indicate that the thigh

is angled down toward the floor relative to the

horizontal. While 15° is considered normal

range in general populations, the average value

for hip hyperextension for elite advanced/professional female ballet dancers was shown to be 27°

(Clippinger-Robertson, 1991). Again, this is an area of a lot of variability between dancers, and even

within this elite group a range from 6° to 47° was recorded. If a goniometer is not available, one can

estimate the range by visually locating the position where the femur would be one-third of the way

toward the floor (30°) and dividing that arc in thirds.

TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS 4.5

B

A

(Text continues on p. 221.)