I am interested in picking your brains here:-)<P>I have a student right now who is having some difficulty wiith tightnes in the front of the hip. It is a recurring problem in this instance, we no sooner begin to work through it then she goes through another growth spurt (this is going to be a very tall girl). In all other aspects she is progressing nicely so this is quite frustrating for her.<P> Any sugestions for this student (and/or) on this topic in general?<P>Rabbit

Rabbit - have you read the thread I have going on Stretch and Strength? I have one more addition to it on the strength side.<P><A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000291.html" TARGET=_blank>STRETCH AND STRENGTH</A><P>Be sure, as it says in that thread, that she works on her stretch all through the barre, not to see stretching as a separate entity.<P>I think the way it works is the body usually stores a bit of fat just before a growth spurt - and that is used up in the growth spurt. But the other connections (ligaments, tendons and muscles) take a while to catch up. For some teens this means ungainliness - they look gangly - almost like they are flopping all over the place. For others, in my experience, it is just the opposite - they seem to get tighter.<P>It just takes a while for the body to make all these adjustments, and connections. She is also adjusting as a teenager to the hormonal cycles in her body. There's a lot going on. <P>In any case, as I am sure you know, all work that involves both strengthening and stretching has to be done with special care at this age. That is very frustrating for both her and you - who wants to help her. But she just has to have patience and work carefully. Gentle work, carefully done, regularly done, will eventually help her body to come to a "norm". <P><p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited January 04, 2001).]

Rabbit, growth spurts, as you know do account for many changes in flexibility. Generally, the bones grow faster than the soft tissue, which must accomodate this growth, therefore, stretching must be done very carefully, and patience is very important as Basheva pointed out.<P>Generally, things do tend to normalize over time, but in some instances, certain physical patterns can become more specific to different individuals. Sometimes tightness in the front of the hips are due to no other factor than that they are tight. There are other things that can contribute to this tightness, too. Foremost could be lordosis, or too much curve in the lower back. The quadriceps, or muscle groups in the front of the thighs can also be involved. Another important muscle group contributing is the iliopsoas, a difficult one to contend with since it can't be seen or felt. There is another muscle involving the hips and thighs, and that is the tensor fascia latae. This is often a tight muscle. These things can also affect turn-out. Tight hamstrings are another.<P>As an experienced teacher, you will probably be able to assess which of these are creating the problem. Again, I stress that at your student's young age, growing into her body will alleviate some of this. If the problem is very marked, or severe, some therapeutic work such as physical therapy or yoga or pilates could help balance the muscles. Again, as Basheva pointed out careful and gentle work is paramount, especially as the student is growing. There are specific exercises that can address this conditions.