I’ve had a series of people come to see me lately with varying degrees of hip pain. Some have been “diagnosed” with arthritis, others just feel aching and limitations. When I ask students to point to their hip joints, 90% point to the outside of the top of the leg, or to the iliac crest, the big bone at the top of the pelvis. Moshe Feldenkrais often said, “If you know what you’re doing, you can do what you want.” But how can you know your hip joint?
Lie down on the floor for a moment. Picture your femur (thigh bone). At the top, it bends in to your pelvis, like the letter L. And at the end of the short L, there’s a ball, called the femoral head. Now bend your knees and put your feet standing on the floor. Push gently into the floor with your feet as if you were trying to push your feet away from your torso. It will create a little rocking motion in your pelvis. Go quickly and lightly.
As you do this movement, can you imagine what your femoral head is doing? Can you picture it going up and down? Forward and back? Or is it the Bermuda Triangle of your awareness? After a few moments, stretch your legs out. Then stand up and see how your trunk rests on your legs.
If you don’t have time to lie down and try this, here’s something you can do during the day. Change your walk. Intentionally, move your hips in a different way. Monty Python had a bit called “The Ministry of Silly Walks.” Take a moment to invent a silly walk of your own. By interrupting your habitual way of walking, you offer new directions for your hip joint, and can help relieve inflammation and discomfort. (Just don’t do it in front of your boss.)
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