Struggling with pinching in your hips?? It's super common in dancers, specifically when lifting & lowering the leg in developpe. You may or may not have formally been diagnosed with some type of hip impingement, but either way, here are a few mobility and strength exercises every dancer should be doing. Give them a try next time you feel symptoms and hopefully you will find 1 or 2 that really help!
Want to learn even more about hip impingement and what causes the pinching? Be sure to check out The Ultimate Guide to Hip Impingement: Part 1.
90/90 DYNAMIC HIP ROTATION STRETCH
Try this mobility drill for external and internal rotation:
KNEELING ROCK BACKS
Try this mobility drill to help you get into full hip flexion without feeling the pinch. The trick here is to keep your spine neutral and NOT tuck the butt under.
HIP FLEXOR ISOMETRICS @ 90 DEGREES
Hip flexor weakness is a HUGE reason for pinching during developpe. Try this exercises to strengthen it, but don't let the hip hike into the air. Instead, imagine the hip joint driving down towards the floor so you don't get a pinch.
Hip Flexion at 45 deg Developpe
This exercise is similar to the previous, but just a little more functional for dance.
You should never feel pinching with any of these exercises, so if you do, you are likely using the wrong movement pattern. Be sure to check out the Ultimate Guide to Hip Impingement: Part 1 and Part 2 to get the whole story for how to stop the pinching!
Lastly, it's important to keep in mind that everyone is different. The overall goal is to have a few exercises in your “tool box” that you can pull out on a bad day to help reduce your symptoms. It can take some time, but once you find “your exercises,” it will make all the difference in long term management and relief.