Sunday, December 23, 2012

Hip Help

Dancer's muscles often have predictable strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few exercises that you can try right now to begin addressing common muscle imbalances related to the hip.

Flexibility:
See our previous article on hip flexor stretching via this link.

Strength:

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Hip Flexor Stretching Circuit

From time to time, I had have had the pleasure of working with Just For Kix in various capacities.

One topic that comes up over and over again is "How do I improve my flexibility?"

In my experiences, I have found that many dancers focus quite a bit on stretching hamstrings, but much less on stretching hip flexors. Many times, the hip flexor flexibility is limiting leaps and kicks more than the hamstrings.

A few years ago, I wrote an article for Just for Kix on a circuit to improve hip flexor flexibility. Here is a link to that article. Give it a try and leave us a comment with your thoughts and questions.

 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Dancer and Gymnast Bone Health Study

 Did you participate in organized dance/ gymnastics activities for at least 3 hours/ week for the past 36 months or longer?

If you are 18 to 35 years old and answered yes to the question above, we would like to invite you to participate in a research study of the bones of dancers and gymnasts.

You will also be screened for hip bone health and body composition for free. This study results will allow a better understanding of how bones and joints of  dancers and gymnasts adapt to training. This information can be used to promote better training practices and potentially reduce injury risks to your bones. You will be compensated for your participation with a $5 Target Gift Card.


This research project is being conducted by Ana Freire (Ph.D. candidate in Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota), Lesley Scibora, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota – School of Kinesiology), Dr. Moser (Minnesota Dance Medicine and Minnesota Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute Physician), and Dr. Larson (Minnesota Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute Physician). 

If you have questions, comments, or would like to participate, please contact Ana Freire directly at bella093@umn.edu