Poor hip strength

[Crystal Brown]

My daughter starts physical therapy today…Come to find out, not only does she have problems with her drag knee but also has poor hip strength on both sides. She will be working with the therapist for the next 4 weeks on both issues. How do you teach someone who lacks hip strength to use their hips?

 

[Doug Romrell]

I would suspect that conditioning focused mainly, but not solely, on that/those weaknesses is a huge step in the right direction.

 

[Crystal Brown]

One of the things I am considering to address first, is the hip hinge….starting out with what it supposed to feel like and then building with kettle bell swings, squats and deadlifts. I don't see her with much of a hinge right before push off…since I already know her hip strength is poor, I want to focus on teaching her how to activate them correctly.
The hip hinge is, in general, any flexion or extension originating at the hips that involves a posterior weight shift as seen below:


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPT1Qs_Ubo0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Then watching my daughter, you don't see this hip hinge…you see her attempt to get a lean but she isn't able to achieve this lean because of the lack of a hinge.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vBhfs5KiDUE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[catmaster]

My DD is 10 and she has had several problems with her ankles. We did physical therapy and her therapists said a lot of her problems were because her hips were weak. So not only did she do excerises for ankles she did excerises for hips also. So far we haven't had anymore ankle issues

 

[STRIKE3]

My daughter starts physical therapy today…Come to find out, not only does she have problems with her drag knee but also has poor hip strength on both sides. She will be working with the therapist for the next 4 weeks on both issues. How do you teach someone who lacks hip strength to use their hips?

Wishing your DD a speedy PT and recovery!

 

[slingnit]

One of the things I am considering to address first, is the hip hinge….starting out with what it supposed to feel like and then building with kettle bell swings, squats and deadlifts. I don't see her with much of a hinge right before push off…since I already know her hip strength is poor, I want to focus on teaching her how to activate them correctly.
The hip hinge is, in general, any flexion or extension originating at the hips that involves a posterior weight shift as seen below:
View attachment 10397

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPT1Qs_Ubo0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Then watching my daughter, you don't see this hip hinge…you see her attempt to get a lean but she isn't able to achieve this lean because of the lack of a hinge.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vBhfs5KiDUE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You will be ridiculed by many for suggesting that deadlifts and squats are beneficial for softball players! lol This shows that no part of the body should be overlooked when kids are working out. Any weak link in the body can cause problems in places you would never expect. Tight calves can be the cause of lower back pain, that kind of stuff. Good luck on her recovery!

This isn't a hip strength issue per se but definitely something for parents to keep in mind if kids are complaining of pain in the hip(s). My dd missed the last 4 series of this season with a stress fracture in the femoral neck. Misdiagnosed as a quad injury(so called "trainer" knew everything and wouldn't listen to players) for over 4 weeks. Now 6 weeks no load, 6 weeks gradually putting load back on the hip, then therapy to get strength back. Hip injuries are slow healing due to the limited circulation so don't push it.