Rediscovering the hip
Jeremy Woolhouse
In common usage, the word ‘hip’ may refer to the pelvis, the joint where the leg meets the torso, or both. This leads to some confusion and it is worthwhile to find out just how your legs connect to, and move with, the rest of your body.
The pelvis and the hip
“Hands on hips,” we were told at school. The correct response to this instruction was to place your hands on the top of the pelvis (specifically, the anterior superior iliac crest). However, we are also told to “bend from the hips” to lift heavy objects, and the correct response to this instruction is to articulate the ball-and-socket joint where the upper leg bone (femur) meets with the pelvis. The two interpretations of ‘hip’ can lead to issues if they are confused.
Moving at the hip joint
Our brains create a map of our body and its movements, and the body tries to represent this conception as best it can - even if the image is inconsistent with anatomical possibilities. If we conceive of a bending movement as an articulation from the top of the pelvis, the body may recruit muscle tension to stabilise the ball-and-socket joint movement and mobilise the lumbar spine instead. This movement pattern has been associated with disc injuries and lower back pain.
Moving the leg is not just about moving the bone. The muscles that roll the ball in its socket joint (or vice versa) include the quadriceps and gluteals. These muscles attach to the top of the pelvis and the sensation produced as they move the leg may be quite distant from the joint surfaces on which they are acting. For example, there may be a sensation of movement at the top of the pelvis, even though this is not where the leg articulates.
The hamstrings are another large muscle group which acts on the hip joint. These are attached to the ischial tuberosities - commonly known as ‘sit-bones’ - which form the base of the pelvis and are quite a distance from the iliac crest. The concept of a ‘hip bone’ is therefore rarely inclusive of the many different aspects of the pelvis and usually does not consider where the legs attach and articulate. For this reason, discarding the term ‘hip’ and creating an anatomically-accurate image of the pelvis, ball-and-socket joint, and attendant muscles may be more functional.
Sitting between your legs
It is also worth noting that the sit-bones are located below and inside of the ball-and-socket hip joints. If you are sitting, ideally, most weight-bearing happens through the base of the pelvis, via the sit-bones, and is between your legs. This makes the transfer of weight through the spine more direct and requires less muscular effort to keep the body upright. It also enables the freedom to move the legs which is essential for maintaining balance while using a pedal on the piano or other seated leg movements. Finally, the clear recognition of sit-bones as the pivot for torso movement and hip joint as the pivot for leg movement can make leaning forward in sitting easeful and supported.
Independence and flow
The complex interrelationship between the joints and muscles of the hip is also evident in walking. With availability at the ball-and-socket hip joint, the leg can articulate freely and independently. However, muscles that cross the hip joint transfer some motion to the pelvis and on to the spine and torso, so while we want free articulation at the hip joint, it is also natural and desirable for the motion of the leg to flow through to the pelvis and initiate a spiral through the spine. The video above shows clearly how the hip moves. Unfortunately, it also depicts an unnatural lack of motion-connectivity through to the pelvis and torso.
Alexander Technique and the body map
Creating an accurate image of one’s own anatomy is often called ‘body mapping.’ Lessons in Alexander Technique invariably include some form of this redefinition of our bodily structures, in which the teacher assists with the pupil’s translation of visual or verbal descriptions into a sensory experience. Rocking back and forth, for example, is a seemingly-simple motion commonly referred to in Alexander Technique lessons. As a teacher is guiding a pupil through these movements, there is a chance to clarify or improve the mental image of joints such as the hip, and allow the pupil to experience articulation at the hip joint and the engagement of the leg musculature in a way that is congruent with positive expansion through the whole body.When retraining a body map is framed by Alexander Technique principles in this way, the revised ‘image’ is imbued with an efficient and graceful quality of movement and integrated into a general pattern of improved coordination.