Are My Knees Straight?

Are My Knees Straight?

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My ballet instructor informed me I generally dont straighten my legs in lev as much as I should. She said I have to tighten my quad muscle. I thought I was doing that. What muscle is she speaking about precisely? She said it is above the knee. Is that all I have to do to have stick straight legs? Is there any other strategy to preserve my knees straight at all times?

Thanks, Val


Ive acquired a few ideas, Val. One is that you just might have some weak point in either the quadriceps muscle or the calf muscle tissues, or both. The quadriceps muscular tissues are hip flexors and knee extensors. Meaning they bend the thigh towards the pelvis they usually straighten the knee. Listed here are pictures of the quadriceps muscle tissues and the calf muscles. Within the image of the calf muscular tissues, the gastrocnemius muscle has been cut away so you possibly can see the soleus muscle underneath.

Start by standing in parallel, sideways to the mirror. Are your legs straight with the knees in step with the hips and ankles? You dont want the knees to be behind the middle of the hip and ankle because they might imply they're hyperextended, and also you dont want the knees in front of the middle of the hip and ankle because that means they are slightly bent.

Im assuming that when you're simply standing still - your legs are straight. Now, slowly begin to rise onto the balls of your feet. As you rise, do your knees bend at all? If that's the case, there's some weakness.

To address the weak point you can do two quite simple power exercises. The primary is to face on the barre on one foot and do sluggish single leg relevs and levs. Be sure you arent gripping the ground together with your toes once you do so. You can do them in parallel and in turnout.

The second exercise is doing very small single leg demi plis, both in parallel and in turnout. You again dont have to lower very far, nor do very many repetitions before you discover the quadriceps tiring. If your thighs are sore the next day then that could be a signal that you overdid the repetitions and pull back some.

The other remark I need to make is that knees come in all shapes and sizes and generally the shape of your knee makes it look like they arent straight. When you've got knobby knees like the image of a really famous actress that's shown under - they might not look straight when they are.

One way to see if you have a structural downside with straightening your knees (and I have only seen a number of individuals who couldnt straighten their knees) is by lying face down with only the lower part of the leg off the table. Notice on this image that the right heel is higher than the left? This can be a signal of an extra vital contracture in the muscle tissue - or a structural concern.

Again, in the event you can stand with straight legs - or lie down along with your legs straight, then you'll want to deal with strengthening the muscular tissues around the knee and ankle for your lev and relevs. Good luck!


Until next time,

Warm regards,

Deborah

Education is the key to injury prevention

About the Author:
Deborah Vogel is a dancer, author, and master teacher who conducts workshops for teachers as well as student and professional dancers. Her numerous articles on dance technique and injury prevention have appeared in Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, and Pointe Magazines. During her years in NYC she co-founded the Center for Dance Medicine with Dr. Richard Bachrach. Currently she is on faculty at Oberlin College and the OC Conservatory of Music.



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