The Hip

In Bellydance, the hip joint experiences many repetitive movements such as shimmies, hip drops, circles, figure 8s and their variations. Understanding how this joint functions in relation specifically to our style of dance, will help you and/or your students maintain healthy hips throughout your career and life. Any repetitive activity of the hip joint can cause wear and tear, but this can be minimised through attention to hip function. We will cover how to improve hip function in the BODY CONDITIONING course.

The Anatomy of the Hip

The hip is a joint that consists of the articulating surfaces of the head of the femur to the pelvis, known as the coxo-femoral joint. In this module, we will also discuss the sacroiliac joints located towards the base of the spine, on the posterior side of the pelvis.

Fig 1. The pelvis. Anterior view. Illustration by Prue Schafferius

The Femur

The femur is the longest and heaviest bone in the body. It has several notable landmarks.

• Head; has a smooth surface that is spherical (this is a ball and socket joint.)
• Neck; joins the head to the shaft of the bone.
• Greater trochanter; sits on the superior lateral side of the femur.
• Lesser trochanter; is on the superior medial side.
• Shaft; is the long section of the bone.

The distal end of the femur is larger than the superior end and forms part of the knee joint. This joint will be covered in more detail in THE KNEE module. Notable landmarks include;

• Lateral epicondyle
• Medial epicondyle
• Lateral condyle
• Medial condyle
• Patella surface.

Fig 2. The femur. Illustration by Prue Schafferius

The coxo-femoral joint

The Acetabulum

The head of the femur articulates to the pelvis via the acetabulum (Latin for 'small bowl'). This is a deep socket formed at the junction of the ilium, pubis and ishium. See THE PELVIS in THE TRUNK AND SPINE module for more information.

The structure of the pelvis means the acetabulum angles back posteriorly. This results in the neck of the femur sitting on an oblique angle rather than horizontally. This angle varies between individuals and with age. The greater the angle, the less stability is present in the joint. The depth of the socket also varies between individuals, resulting in varying degrees of flexibility within the joint. This is partly why some dancers can not lift their leg up to their head or achieve the 'splits' no matter how much time they spend stretching their muscles.

The Labrum

The labrum is a fibrocartilaginous ring, or cartilage of the hip joint. It is attached around the rim of the acetabulum and is reinforced by a ligament called the transverse acetabular ligament.

The labrum holds the femoral head in place and cushions the articulating bones of the joint. Tears can sometimes occur in the labrum through overuse or trauma.

Fig 3. The hip joint and the labrum. Illustration by Prue Schafferius