Return to rehearsing, performing, and moving with confidence. If hip pain, snapping, stiffness, or weakness interferes with your dancing, board-certified orthopedic surgeon and former ballet dancer Dr. Stephanie Buza provides individualized care focused on your specific goals.
Move Freely Through Every Performance
Dancer’s hip describes hip problems that can develop from the repetitive, demanding movements involved in dance. You may experience pain, snapping or popping sensations, stiffness, weakness, or discomfort during movements such as turnout, extensions, or deep hip flexion. Symptoms may involve muscles, tendons, or other structures around the hip. Because dancers place unique demands on their bodies, identifying what is causing your symptoms is essential to developing treatment that supports your movement and performance goals.
Signs & Symptoms of Dancer’s Hip:
- Pain in the front, side, or back of your hip
- Snapping, clicking, or popping during movement
- Hip stiffness or reduced range of motion
- Weakness around the hip
- Pain during turnout, extensions, or deep hip flexion
- Discomfort during rehearsals or performances
- Tenderness around the outside of the hip
- Symptoms that worsen with repetitive dance movements
- Difficulty performing movements that once felt comfortable
Treatment Options for Dancer’s Hip
Your treatment begins with identifying what is causing your hip symptoms and how they affect your movements. Dr. Buza evaluates your pain, mobility, strength, and demands to develop an individualized plan. As a former ballet dancer with a special interest in performing arts medicine, she understands that your treatment needs to consider your goals for returning to dance.
Physical Therapy and Non-Operative Care
Physical therapy is typically the first step in treating a dancer’s hip. Therapy may use targeted stretching and strengthening exercises to improve mobility, strengthen the muscles supporting the joint, and correct movement patterns that place excessive stress on irritated tissues. For dancers, rehabilitation can be tailored to movements like turnout, extensions, and deep hip flexion, with a gradual progression toward rehearsals and performances.
Tendon and Soft Tissue Repair
When a damaged tendon or other soft tissue continues to cause symptoms, surgical repair may be appropriate. The technique depends on the tissue involved and the nature of the injury. In tendon repair, damaged or torn tissue can be reattached to its normal attachment site to restore the connection between the muscle and bone. Rehabilitation then gradually rebuilds mobility, strength, and control before you progress toward higher-demand dance movements.
Trochanteric Bursectomy
The trochanteric bursa is a fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between tissues along the outside of your hip. When it becomes persistently inflamed and non-operative care does not provide enough relief, a trochanteric bursectomy may be considered. During the procedure, the irritated bursa is removed to reduce a source of inflammation. The surrounding tissues remain in place, and rehabilitation helps you progressively restore comfortable hip movement and function.
Don’t Let an Injury Keep You Sidelined.
Schedule Your Consultation for Dancer’s Hip Treatment in NYC
Dr. Stephanie Buza is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and performing arts medicine. As a former classically trained ballet dancer, she understands how hip pain can affect your movement and performance and offers individualized care focused on helping you return to doing what you love. Schedule your consultation for dancer’s hip treatment with Dr. Buza in New York City today.
