Kharmine

Gwinty & Charity, I strongly suggest you both try a good massage therapist.

For lower rates than you usually get from an independent pro, check around for a massage school that has a student clinic (advanced students who work under supervision while they acquire hours of practice for certification), or your local YMCA.

I once studied shiatsu and have found that I can relieve pain in many dancers' feet and legs with just one long session. Most of 'em didn't wear the right shoes or had posture problems or ignored pain once too often. The massage relieved the pain and talking to the dancers helped reveal what they were doing that might have caused their problems.

The ones with serious or chronic problems I referred to more experienced professionals, or even a medical doctor to check out. I've even recommended acupuncture when conventional treatment didn't seem to help. Acupuncture can be terrific for circulation problems, chronic pain and mysterious ailments that elude diagnosis.

__________________
What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

gwinity

I'm planning on going to the physio in the next week or so, as my hips are still playing up: mayas are seriously unattractive when the dancer is wincing in pain!!! (not to mention how stiff they're getting with a desk job) A full-body massage is on the cards for this weekend. And lots of yoga, to try and stretch them out a bit.

The problem has been compounded by being ill over the past few weeks (so I'm not in top form anyway), which may or may not be a contributing factor in the whole thing to begin with...

(Looks like this is my year for illness and injury!)

KuteNurse

Awww...Rest up and relax for a bit and start up slowly making to stretch your hip areas well before practicing...Hope you feel better soon.

Jayms_fallen_angel

It could just be you've used it so much. It may just need a bit of rest.

Aziyade

Someone suggested this, but you can EASILY overstretch those "hip" muscles if you're sliding the hip out too far to the side without pulling in the low abs.

Try a hip slide from side to side -- are you feeling pain on the farthest part of the slide? If so, you are probably overstretched. In order to prevent this, be SURE to keep your low abs pulled in -- or your bottom "tucked" -- because that way the obliques (the muscles on the side of your ab) will prevent you from from going too far. When you feel a pull in your obliques, that's the maximum amount of distance you should go on the slide.

Regular practice will of course increase your range of motion and increase the distance your obliques will let you slide.

belly_dancer

I have had trouble with my ITB (illio-tibial bands... sorry for bad spelling!!) when I 1st started dancing.... no more.... with your mayas, do you lift your heels off the ground???
is so the range of motion is coming from below the hip, NOT the torso...
keep your heels on the ground , your butt tucked (tailbone pointing towards ground, lower back long, pelvis pulled up, thereby shortening lower abs)
the maya is the best test for this... try sliding out and then pushing the hip DOWN (stretching the muscles in your torso, NOT your ITB (which will get a stretch if you lift your hip UP (usually w/ the heel off the ground!), then out & down....
(sooooo hard to explain in writing, wish I could just show you@!!!)
so.. if by chance your pain is the same I used to experience... this may help!

gwinity

Update:

I finally went to see the physio. This morning. (I know, I know...!) The pain in my hips was getting well beyond manageable, and interfereing in more than just my dancing.

Murphy's Law in action, the moment I booked the appointment, all pain went away courtesy of yoga. (It did return again after BD, though...)

But see the physio I did, and while she was pleased with my overall condition, the hips presented a problem. It wasn't muscular after all, or if it was, it's turned into an overuse injury/bursitis because I was stupid enough to try and dance through it. I learned a valuable lesson.

My physio is lovely, though, and she'll be putting me through all sorts of torture devices to get be back to the condition I should have been in all year. And she hasn't told me to quit dancing!

Kharmine

Good on you for getting a proper diagnosis! Once you know what the real problem is it's easier to focus on meeting what it needs. Sounds like the yoga is helping, too. Good luck on successful therapy!

__________________
What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?