Hip trouble with my round kick and stretching?

Gerry Seymour

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I'll see about the video, but the pain is underneath the hip bones in a straight line, both legs. if you put your index finger on your hip bone and slide it down in a straight line, that's it.
That's starting to sound like the IT band. It's hard to stretch - perhaps someone here can point a video of an ITB stretch, which would probably tell you if that's the problem.
 

Leviathan

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Lack of flexibility in your muscles is certainly not the issue if you're just 5 inches away from the split. I am more than a foot away from the split and still I can kick at head level without pain in my joints.

I remember having a similar problem a couple of years ago although not as intensive. I went straight to a good osteopath who found out it was due to some stiffness in the conjunctive tissue. He solved the matter in 1 appointment. No medication needed, just some manual therapy. I had fully recovered my flexibility by the end of the appointment.

Personally for that kind of issues I prefer going to an osteopath than a doctor / orthopedist. Osteopaths usually have a better feeling and understanding of joint issues. And they don't push for surgery, medication or X-rays, ct-scan etc.

In case your doctor is not really useful and osteopathy is out of reach to you (I have no clue where you are and whether osteopathy is widespread over there), you might purchase a yoga foam roll and work your legs and back with that. That could help relax the conjunctive tissue (only helpful if that is the issue of course).

Keep us posted and good recovery.
 
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spawn2031

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Did you every figure out what was stopping you here? I get a very similar kind of pain when I try to throw round house kicks but I can barely get above my own knee. If you have increased your flexibility since the start of this thread, I'd love to hear what stretches you used.
 

Bruce7

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Hello, I have been having trouble with my hips especially when it comes to my roundhouse kick and the box splits. To make sure there is no confusion as to which kick I am referring to, I will post a video here.

Even after my warmup exercises I have extreme trouble when it comes to executing a round house kick (both sides). Everything seems to go fine up until after the chamber. When I have my knee with the leg ready to kick, I attempt to execute the kick. I cannot go above my belt height, and if I try to force it, I get a sharp pain just under my hip bone. I cannot tell whether it is muscular or my bones. Please don't spam the thread telling me to go to the doctor, because I am already booking an appointment.

Moreover, I sometimes get the pain not on the kicking leg, but the leg which is providing support for me as well; sometimes I get it on both. I can't recall to have had this sort of trouble with my sidekick! When we do our warm up, at one point we are told to sit down, and stretch our legs out as wide as possible, then proceed to touch our toes with our opposite legs. If I try to stretch my legs out above a 90-100 degree angle, I will get the same sort of pain on both sides. Keep in mind, that I don't think flexibility has anything to do with this, as I am 5 inches off of my side splits!

I am at my wits end as to what this could be; I have been told that it could be that my hips simply aren't made for this stuff and that I have the "wrong type" of hips, but I refuse to accept that at the age of 17, I have already managed to find something that will hinder me throughout my whole martial arts career :(. Please guys, if anyone has any idea as to what my problem is, I need help! One of my senseis has said that one of the only solutions to this could be to break my hips, and whilst, I'm ready to do that, I do not want arthritis or any sort of problems like that in my later life.

I am not a doctor, so I am just guessing.
When I was your age I could do the splits and had no hip pain doing roundhouse kicks.
Now I can't get anywhere never a split and it hurts my hip if I try to do a high roundhouse.
It feels like a sharp nerve pain. For some reason I do'nt have that problem with a front or side kick.
I think there must be some muscle that has to be stretched in order to do high round kicks without that hip pain.
I have been doing stretches from Bill Wallace video.
It has help me. It took weeks before I saw and felt improvement.
IMO, Pushing yourself to do high round kicks before you can do the splits will hurt you more than help you.
 

Earl Weiss

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Now I can't get anywhere never a split and it hurts my hip if I try to do a high roundhouse.
It feels like a sharp nerve pain.
I see from your profile you are 63. Had the issue when I was about 50.
An X Ray of the hip joint revealed the issue. No amount of stretching would fix it and would just cause more pain. Have you had an X Ray?
 

Bruce7

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I see from your profile you are 63. Had the issue when I was about 50.
An X Ray of the hip joint revealed the issue. No amount of stretching would fix it and would just cause more pain. Have you had an X Ray?
Thank you. that is good advice. I will have it checked out. Over the last year I have improved about 12 inches. I have gone from stomach high to arm pit high on my dumie.
 

Gerry Seymour

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I am not a doctor, so I am just guessing.
When I was your age I could do the splits and had no hip pain doing roundhouse kicks.
Now I can't get anywhere never a split and it hurts my hip if I try to do a high roundhouse.
It feels like a sharp nerve pain. For some reason I do'nt have that problem with a front or side kick.
I think there must be some muscle that has to be stretched in order to do high round kicks without that hip pain.
I have been doing stretches from Bill Wallace video.
It has help me. It took weeks before I saw and felt improvement.
IMO, Pushing yourself to do high round kicks before you can do the splits will hurt you more than help you.
I don't know about that last point. I can still round-kick to head height, but can get nowhere near a split. Seriously, my static flexibility in my legs is absolutely atrocious, and always has been.
 
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Ivan

Ivan

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Did you every figure out what was stopping you here? I get a very similar kind of pain when I try to throw round house kicks but I can barely get above my own knee. If you have increased your flexibility since the start of this thread, I'd love to hear what stretches you used.

No. However, by constantly doing the same kick (round kick) over and over on a bag, I managed to get the technique right and the pain has mostly subsided. Try it.
 

Flying Crane

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One of my senseis has said that one of the only solutions to this could be to break my hips, and whilst, I'm ready to do that, I do not want arthritis or any sort of problems like that in my later life.
Jeezuz, don’t do this!!! And if that sensei was floating that as a serious option, I might suggest finding a new sensei.
 

pdg

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Pushing yourself to do high round kicks before you can do the splits will hurt you more than help you

I don't know about that last point. I can still round-kick to head height, but can get nowhere near a split. Seriously, my static flexibility in my legs is absolutely atrocious, and always has been.

I'm much more toward Gerry here.

On side splits, I'm over 12" away from getting grounded.

But, I can turning kick, front rising kick, side kick and twisting kick over my own head height - without pushing myself.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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One of my senseis has said that one of the only solutions to this could be to break my hips, and whilst, I'm ready to do that, I do not want arthritis or any sort of problems like that in my later life.
I'm seriously hoping that this is was a joke that you just didn't realize was meant as a joke.
 

pdg

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I'm seriously hoping that this is was a joke that you just didn't realize was meant as a joke.

I really don't think it was a joke unfortunately.

Not when there's surgery available to break your legs and put them in traction to make you 3" taller for cosmetic reasons...
 

Bruce7

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I'm much more toward Gerry here.

On side splits, I'm over 12" away from getting grounded.

But, I can turning kick, front rising kick, side kick and twisting kick over my own head height - without pushing myself.

I can do all kicks except the round kick over my head.
In order to increase the high of my round kick without pain.
I have to work on side splits to increase my range on round kicks.
When I work onside splits the pain is seemer to the pain of the round kick.
I think there must be a muscle that needs to be stretched in order for me to do high round kicks.
 

Earl Weiss

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When I work onside splits the pain is seemer to the pain of the round kick.
I think there must be a muscle that needs to be stretched in order for me to do high round kicks.
You could also have a joint issue that no amount of stretching will resolve and continuing to push the joint past it's potential rage of motion will only lead to more pin or damage. Guess how I know:)
 

Gerry Seymour

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You could also have a joint issue that no amount of stretching will resolve and continuing to push the joint past it's potential rage of motion will only lead to more pin or damage. Guess how I know:)
I've had students (and have a wife) with joint issues that entirely precluded kicks above a certain height, so I'll second this post.
 

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