The Pelvic Girdle and Hip Joint 223TABLE 4.6 Normal Range of Motion and Constraints for Fundamental Movements of the Hip
(Non-Dance Populations)Hip joint movement Normal range of motion* Normal passive limiting factors
Flexion 0-120° (knee flexed)
0-80° (knee extended)**Soft tissue: apposition of thigh on abdomen
Muscle: hamstring group
Extension 0-15°** Joint capsule: anterior portion
Ligaments: iliofemoral and pubofemoral
Muscle: iliopsoas
Abduction 0-45° Joint capsule: inferior portion
Ligaments: pubofemoral, ischiofemoral, and lower
iliofemoral
Muscles: hip adductors
Adduction 0-30° Soft tissue: apposition of thighs
With opposite hip in abduction or flexion:
Joint capsule: superior portion
Ligaments: upper iliofemoral and ischiofemoral, iliotibial
band
Muscles: hip abductors
External rotation 0-45° Joint capsule: anterior portion
Ligaments: iliofemoral and pubofemoral
Muscles: internal rotators and others depending on joint
position
Internal rotation 0-40°**
0-45°Joint capsule: posterior portion
Ligament: ischiofemoral
Muscles: external rotators
*From American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (1965).
**From Gerhardt and Rippstein (1990).The low lunge stretch (table 4.7A) is a stretch for
the hip flexors that can easily be performed after
class. However, if the dancer has difficulty feeling the
stretch or keeping the pelvis from tilting forward, try
the chair lunge stretch (table 4.7B). Performing this
stretch on a chair makes it easier to keep the pelvis
more upright without a balance challenge and with
less flexion of the front knee. As flexibility improves,
the low lunge stretch can be advanced by extending
the back knee (progression 1) or going into a split
from the low lunge stretch (progression 2). The split
stretch is actually a compound stretch, challenging
multiple muscle groups including the hamstrings on
the front leg and the hip flexors in the back leg.
Hip Extensor Stretches (Hamstrings)
Extreme hamstring flexibility is a necessity for
achieving the aesthetic goals of the skilled dancer
and for successful execution of movements such as
a split (front leg), split leap, penché (support leg),
and high kick to the front. Furthermore, hamstring
flexibility allowing greater than 90° of hip flexion is
necessary for allowing the desired upright (neutral)
position of the pelvis in floor work or floor stretches
where the knees are straight. If less than this range
is present, the dancer will display a posterior pelvic
tilt accompanied by flexion of the lumbar spine,
and use of the hip flexors will be required to keep
the torso from falling backward in such positions.
Adequate and balanced hamstring flexibility may
also help prevent hamstring strains and low back
pain, particularly in male adolescents (Mellin, 1988;
Mierau, Cassidy, and Yong-Hing, 1989).
Both the supine hamstring stretch and sitting
hamstring stretch use this combination of hip flexion
and knee extension to apply an effective stretch to
the hamstrings. The supine hamstring stretch (table
4.7C) uses a position in which the back is supported
to more closely replicate the position needed for
standing hip flexion with a vertical torso. The sit-
ting hamstring stretch (table 4.7D) incorporates
stretching both the low back and hamstrings and
is more similar to the position needed in “roll-
downs” commonly used in modern and jazz classes.