Intu-Flow® Challenge, lesson 10, Leg swings

[Connie Brown]

Lesson 10: Leg swings

The Moves

For the leg swings we further explore the concept of planer orientation. Each action in the movement will be oriented to a particular plane.

This exercise set targets the hip joint. Keep the knee actively locked pushing through the heel. This is a mirror to elbow lock in the shoulder swings.

Front Back, saggital plane - 3-5x

Side Side, coronal plane - 3-5x

Rotation, transverse plane 3-5x
The rotation is where you turn your heel/foot one way then the other, keeping leg straight and knee locked. You can think of this as rotating around the vertical line or "y axis". The rotation happens within the transverse plane, the one that's parallel with the ground when you're standing.

Performance goals:

Don't let the hip hike up towards the ribs. That would recruit the pelvis and take away ROM from the hip joint.

Use the screwing action of the hip root in the supporting leg.
"Screwing" means a turning while going down a little.
"Hip root" is strongly grounding yourself from the hip downward on the supporting leg.

[Kikker]

No real problems here. I appreciate the advice, "Don't let the hip hike up towards the ribs." I found that I was doing that sometimes.

RPT - 8
RPE - 4
RPD - 2

[Joseph David]

Hips are the next frontier for deepening my recovery and sophistication. The "power hiking" days of my youth disintegrated my hip mobilty. I remember having screaming trochantor and illiotibial band as a twenty something.

Coming back to the foundational movements is key for me.
I did these movements both standing, open chain, and lieing on the ground, closed chain.

OC RP TED 721 lateral hip extension inhibated, the foot wanted to roll out to compensate.
CC RP TED 822

[JTCluck]

RPE: 3 (the side-to-side movement requires more effort than I would liken - I have to be careful)
RPD: 1
RPT: 6

Technique is OK but ROM not so much. I am beginning to think that part of the source for my lower back stiffness is tight hamstrings (that, and poor posture) but I am not sure what to do about it except keep on swingin' the legs. The front-to-back leg swings expose the tight hamstrings so maybe over time...

[drbri]

My hip ROM is good. The only challenge I have is keeping my knee straight during the ROM. I can do it with no problem, it just requires some extra thought and attention to make sure I am doing it correctly.
RPT=8
RPE=2
RPD=2

[Nick1974]

If I swing the leg, like its a deadweight, folding and extending at the hip as I go, it feels like it does a better job of loosening up the joint, and relaxing the surrounding musculature. However if I perform them slowly I feel strain in the ligaments(?) where the leg joins the body. I don't like that - I worry it could cause a hernia in the region. I have already had surgery for an inguinal hernia so its something I'm always worried about when I feel strain in the weak areas of the body.

Another problem for me here, is a clunking left hip joint. I get a big 'clunck' when I lower the left leg - the slower I lower it, the bigger the clunk. Same thing happens if I lie on my back and lower the leg from a raised position. Only happens on the way down, and only on the left side. Not painful, just weird. From the research I have done on the Net, I believe this could be SI disfunction.

The leg rotations have improved significantly since I began Intu-Flow®®. Initially I had hardly any range of movement, but now I can rotate in both directions as far as Coach in the video without any discomfort. I'm happy about that at least.

[Joseph David]

If I swing the leg, like its a deadweight, folding and extending at the hip as I go, it feels like it does a better job of loosening up the joint, and relaxing the surrounding musculature. However if I perform them slowly I feel strain in the ligaments(?) where the leg joins the body. I don't like that - I worry it could cause a hernia in the region. I have already had surgery for an inguinal hernia so its something I'm always worried about when I feel strain in the weak areas of the body.

Another problem for me here, is a clunking left hip joint. I get a big 'clunck' when I lower the left leg - the slower I lower it, the bigger the clunk. Same thing happens if I lie on my back and lower the leg from a raised position. Only happens on the way down, and only on the left side. Not painful, just weird. From the research I have done on the Net, I believe this could be SI disfunction.

The leg rotations have improved significantly since I began Intu-Flow®®. Initially I had hardly any range of movement, but now I can rotate in both directions as far as Coach in the video without any discomfort. I'm happy about that at least.

Nick,
I'm I correct that you also had trouble with the pelvis mobility? If so These issues are related to your inguinal hernia. Trauma's such as surgery set up FEAR reactive patterns that remain present even after the tissues knit. What does your shoulder bridge feel like? Can you lift from the hinge of the pelvis/hip or is the low back doing the work?
My overseas arm chair guess is that the SI is bracing for disintegration in the hip/pelvis. Do you have a health team to assist you with these issues?

[Nick1974]

That's a very good point, Joseph. You could be on to something there. There is no doubt about it - some serious fear reactivity patterns were probably embedded after the surgery. It was still pianful 3 years afterwards if I moved a certain way! And the scar tissue was always tugging and pulling my insides. Don't know why I hadn't thought of that before! But also, I spend about 80% of my life in a chair usually with one leg crossed over the other. My pelvic stability is shot I would surmise. Professional help would be required I would agree.

thanks for your interest.

[sames]

Great advice Connie. I notice myself doing that sometimes (pulling hip up) when trying to go too high (i.e. exert too much).

RPT: 8
RPD: 1
RPE: 3