hip/joint problem...

Hello

I have been involved in karate for 13 years now, and i think my body is starting to feel the affects. I am only 18 years old, but my hips are going through a lot of discomfort. My hip 'pops' each time i kick a certain kick. Front kicks and round house kicks pop back into place as i reset my leg down. I can make my hip pop by doing certain stretches. When i place my hands on my hip flexors i feel a 'lub lub'. Does anyone have the same problem or any stretching or other remedies that might help?

Thank you Ni-dan Hidetake Yamanaka

13 years huh...usually I hear about that problem with people just starting out...thats how it happened for me. As a beginner I would suffer from what you are describing. If we are talkign about the same thing, it pops but it is not painful,,correct? Usually it will go away with time...excercise your hip flexors.

KMG

JOe heeft geschreven in bericht ...

The most immediate thing to do is to make sure you **stretch _a lot_** before practicing, _every time_. First warm up and then stretch for at least 30 minutes.

Another thing is, that a lot of schools teach stretching incorrectly, namely, they practice ballistic stretching (basically, you stretch to as far as you can and then bounce).

The best way to stretch, is to stretch statically. First you warm up with running, stance training or whatever is easiest. Then, when you stretch, say in a front split, you (1) lean forward as far as you can, then (2) tense your hamstring muscle as hard as you can, (3) relax the muscle, (4) lean forward farther, and (5) hold the stretch for a slow 8 count. Then repeat by tensing the hamstring again.

This is the best way I have found to make the gains in flexibility more permanent, and they are much kinder on your tendons, which are really what take the most punishment during stretching. They're also what take the most punishment when you're practicing without stretching first.

And another thing I learned is never _just_ stretch, but practicing (basics, kata, etc.) afterwards make the gains in flexibility more permanent.

Alex

Biggest Pukulan and Pencak Silat Link-Page on the web at http://www.geocities.com/vandeelen/Pukulan/ Pencak, Pukulan, Kuntao and Shaolin Kempo: The (Dutch-) Indonesian and Malaysian National Martial Arts

It is a good thing you aren't a horse.

Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.

It's not actually dislocating then popping back into place. There's a few things it could be, like tendons slipping and stuff, but it's impossible to tell over email, so I don't know how useful any advice would be.

When i place my

That's probably your femoral arteries, everyone has them. But get it checked out. It doesn't seem like it's getting better by itself, and it might get worse. 18 is pretty young to develop a chronic injury.

Does anyone have the same

Robert Low heeft geschreven in bericht ...

Thanks for the info, I'm checking through it.

However, the above is what works for me and what I've distilled over the last 20 plus years, doing first Taekwondo, then Pukulan and now Tai Chi (and some Taekwondo to keep up). I can see how someone could screw themselves up working out after being all stretched up, but _only_ if they use seriously flawed technique (i.e., using full power when shadow boxing, rather than controlled technique, etc.). But that would be the same if they didn't stretch first. Work up slowly, folks, and then let it rip.

Go see an orthopedicDR., preferably one that knows something about sports medicine . Let him examine your hip and advise you.

Well, as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I'm not a big believer in hard and fast rules that supposedly work for everybody. Cautious experimentation has to be the sensible route.

And I quote this only because it's the one of the hard and fast rules I *do* believe in.

hcannon18 heeft geschreven in bericht ...

True, and you should still stretch, because it prevents a lot of problems. :->