After I returned to skating from my shoulder surgery, I started having a terrible problem with my right hip. It is in continuous pain in the joint. Not severe pain, but a mild aching.

I've also noted that I'm really sticking my right hip out while attempting to do some of my skating elements. I've lost a lot of my control on things I used to have much less trouble doing. Ex: I have trouble holding a BO edge.

Does anyone know of some off ice exercises that I can use to strengthen the muscles while training my hip to stay in alignment with my leg?

I've had alot of hip pain in the last few months, but mine is related to my "piriformis syndrome". The piriformis muscle runs across from your hip to your rear and runs over the sciatic nerve. Runners and skaters will have problems with this. I also think the hip flexor muscles are prone to stress from skating. All this and more can relate to hip pain.

The reason I mention all this is because I also have had some difficulty controlling pulling in on spins in particular. The hip didn't want to rotate correctly during the entry. So I think it's worth considering that stretching may be more in order here.

Part of my routine was to heat the affected muscle, then stretch lightly, then ice, twice a day.

Here is a stretch to try and see how this feels:

Kneel on one knee with the other foot out front, foot flat on floor. Now tilt your pelvis and then lunge forward to stretch the hip area. The more strongly you tilt your pelvis, the less movement you need to do to feel this stretch.

Also you can just sit with your leg crossed over your knee at the ankle and stretch forward. You can do this laying down and pull your thigh of the leg on the underside up to get the stretch.

If you really think you need to strengthen things, and you have exercise bands, put the band around your ankle and the leg of the sofa/chair. While standing, do pulls, first back, then turn around and pull forward, then stand to the side and pull out, then stand to the other side and pull for the inside muscles. What's good about this is that you strengthen all the muscles, and so are strengthening in balance all four directions. This is good for groin pulls too.

Hope it's nothing serious....sometimes a week off is worth it to see if things improve. If they get worse, see a doc. Don't overstretch anything either. If it hurts, don't overdo it.

Edited to add one I forgot....this was given to me by a hockey coach, who is also my chiropracter (nice combination, don't you think?) Get on the floor on all fours. Cross one leg over the other so both knees are on the floor. Lean forward until you feel the stretch. (This one doesn't do too much for me, but hey, your a guy.... )

That sounds exactly like what I have in both hips. Mine comes and goes with no apparent reason, except that I noticed spinning causes it when I attempt to enter from a windup but fail to get my weight entirely over the skating foot. That causes the hip to "stick out" like you are experiencing. Is it possible that you are just not over your skates like you used to be? If that's the case, then working on posture should help.

BTW, I've been to the doctor with my pain, and he says it's probably arthritis. Ibuprofen helps some times, but not always. I have a referral for an orthopod, but haven't gone yet.

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I'm sure that not being over my skating foot is the problem.

I need to work on some muscle memory to keep me in proper posture (of which I have none anymore).

OK.....try this then. Push into a nice long glide on the outside edge of either foot, tuck your free foot in tight at the heel of the skating foot, now try to sit back a little by lifting your toes. When you get the balance just right, you will glide most effortlessly and will be amazed at the zip. This will show you how it feels to have your weight over the skating foot, and have everything balanced optimally. You can do the same on black glides, but I find them harder to get this feeling.

My coach had me do these glides in preparation for the outside closed mohawks for dance.

Maybe learning a dance or two will improve your skating posture? (Always trying to get more men interested in dance.....)

Also, perhaps your shoulder is causing some of your trouble. Arm and shoulder positions and ability to check strongly, etc. can affect everything you do. If you are favoring the shoulder in some way, this could put everything out of whack, and hopefully will be temporary as your shoulder continues to recover.

Elsy2, you're right in both posts. I need to get some additional strengthening and stretching, as well as work on posture.

I've made copies of everything here to work with. If I don't print it, I forget it.

Thanks!!!!

I'll be waiting to hear about your first dance lesson....

Actually, I don't take official lessons, but on my Monday night adult only public session, there are several gals who are more then willing to show me dances. I was doing a few with them until my shoulder injury and I couldn't lift my arm anymore. Now that I'm back in "shape", I may have to get them to work with me again.

Dance is fun!!!

My dance partner in crime has been off the ice for weeks with a neck/shoulder strain. He found dancing really affected his sore shoulder, so take care going back to it. I'm really not to happy to go through the dances solo He plans to come back next weekend, so we'll have our work cut out for us getting in synch again.

Yes, one of our adult dancers had a nasty accident on her bicycle, and hurt her shoulder, and even now, some months later, there are some dances she simply can't do because it hurts. I think you're fine for the low-level dances, but the ones that involve a lot of twisting are probably not very sensible.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'll be careful. I have almost full range of motion, but the shoulder tires easily.

It'll probably be good therapy.