Guest Ashlee2 Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Whenever I stand up straight, by legs and knees lock back, and my teacher says that this can eventually hurt my legs (and it has already started to hurt sometimes ) She said that my thigh and calf muscles are stronger than my hamstrings. She gave me an exercise where I lay down on my stomach and bend my legs to flex and unflex my hamstrings. I was wondering if anyone had anymore information on this subject or any other good exerceses. Thanks! Link to comment
balletluver91 Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 I am also very hyperextended and unfortunately have already hurt my knees especially my left knee. My teacher told me to do releves and eleves slowly and it will help strengthen your knees. Also, if you have a theraband lay on your back and do developes. Also with a theraband lying on your back you can bend the knee to your chest and straighten it up to the ceiling. I wish you good luck! balletluver91 Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted January 17, 2005 Administrators Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 The most important thing with hyperextension is to learn to control it through placement, both aligning the bones and weight placement, which is really crucial. Allowing your body weight to be even a teeny bit back into the heels just reinforces the hyperextension instead of correcting it. You can't change the structure of the legs, but you can save the knees by learning to control the locking back on the standing leg. You have to use your quads to do this, as well as the abs, buttocks muscles, and the top of the hamstrings where they insert into the buttocks. But it's really, really important to not allow the weight to go back. You don't need exercises, you need to learn how to control it and work with it. It's not a BAD thing! It's a good thing for line, but you do have to learn how to use it in the working leg and not over use it in the standing leg, which is not that easy. It sounds to me like you need to start from your normal standing position, and learn how to not hyperextend there. Then, you need to learn how to stand in first, second, fourth and fifth positions without hyperextending. It may take a very small space between your heels in first, and possibly even a small space between the front heel and the back big toe in fifth, at least for a while. This is really not a Nutrition and Health problem, but a technique problem, so, I'm moving the topic to YD. Link to comment
supportivemom Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 My daughter's teacher recently recommended pilates to deal with this issue. The orthopedist agreed and she seems to be making progress. Hope this helps. Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted January 17, 2005 Administrators Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Yes, Pilates could also be helpful in learning to control hyperextension. *Reminder - supportivemom, you are new, so I have left the post. However this is one of the Young Dancers' forums where we restrict posting to the age categories and the moderators. Link to comment
supportivemom Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Oops! I knew that......sorry! Link to comment
Guest Ashlee2 Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Thanks sooooo much! Link to comment
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