The hip-socket is probably one of the most important joints to work in the body no matter what activity you are doing. Not just dance, but yoga, or weight lifting, or running, or just simply walking around in everyday life.
In the modern age we has humans sit a lot. Over time sitting shortens and tightens the muscles in the front of the hip socket – the psoas and the hip flexors and at the same time lengths and weakens the muscles across the back of the hip socket – the glutes and hamstrings.
When the muscles get stiff, tight, and misbalanced around the hip socket then some other joint has to take the burden of the stress of any activity you do. Above the hip socket this is the lumbar region of the spine, below the hip it’s the knees. Both of the lumbar region and the knees are not designed for going in lots of different directions to absorb stress so they end up hurting. They are both great indicator joints that there is not enough mobility somewhere else (like the hip socket).
At it’s worst I’ve seen dancers literally punish themselves on the dance floor, suffer through pain as their dancing with very stiff immobile hip sockets and then walk off the floor still keeping the show going and then once they’re off stage limp around.
Having mobility in the hip socket allows for us to adjust to whatever we are doing movement wise. It allows us to have grace in our movement. If we’re dancing with a partner as in ballroom it allows us to adjust to all the small details of coordination in the moment, allowing for a smooth partnership. It allows us adjust our fine timing, to express detail in speed or slowness.
In ballet the fundamental exercises are largely about training the body to move at the hip-socket and stabilize the low back. The plie and the tendu both work toward mobility in the hip-socket.
In weight lifting the squat is considered the corner stone of the weight lifting exercises. It’s proper execution to lower the butt all the way to the ground. “Ass to grass” as the saying goes.
Yoga (if properly taught) is filled with exercises to practice using the hip socket. (If improperly taught it increases mobility in the low back.)
What do you do about it?
For the most part, just moving and bending at the hip socket is all you need to do to improve. Many people do other exercises poorly by not mobilizing the hip socket. Even just basic actions in everyday life you should pay attention to mobilizing the hip socket and not the low back or oddly stressing the knee.
Walking and Running
Pay attention to if your hips are rotating back and forth as you take each step. Extra rotation like this goes right into the low back and can be caused by lack of mobility in the hip socket. When the hip socket is free and easy to move then the hips can remain level and quiet through your movement and the legs will swing freely. If the legs can swing freely then they can also move quicker and easier (for better sports action or quicker, sharper movements in dancing).
Sitting (and standing up from sitting)
Sitting and standing from sitting can actually be a very difficult exercise that really works your core, if done properly. People do one of two things typically to take away from the bend of the hip socket. They either lean back to sit (and use a lot of arms) or lean forward a lot. You want to make just basic sitting into a super great exercise to build your core and improve hip socket mobility? Try this: try to remain upright (with just a slight tilt forward with your upper body) and lower your torso all the way down to the chair and again the same thing going up. Being careful to work to get rid of any excess tilting forward or jerking forward to get going or to land. And also work for no falling in that last inch or two sitting down.
