Pelvis and hip three-dimensional kinematics in grand battement movements

Dancers frequently sustain hip injuries, including labral tears, coxa saltans, stress fractures, tendinosis, and joint disease. High velocity kicks (grand battement), with extreme abduction and external rotation (ER), may stress the hip, sacroiliac joint, and surrounding soft tissue. However, three-dimensional kinematic dance descriptions are limited. The purpose of this study was to describe the kinematics of the pelvis and hip in grand battement movements in healthy dancers. Seventeen advanced-level college dancers performed three battement conditions: battement devant to the front, à la seconde to the side, and derrière to the back. Data were collected with a 5-camera motion capture system. Repeated measures ANOVA (p < 0.05) compared peak pelvis and hip angular displacement and hip and toe velocity for all conditions and planes. Three-dimensional hip to pelvic ratios were calculated. There were differences in pelvic angular displacement between conditions in all planes (p < 0.00). Battement devant posterior pelvic tilt exceeded that of battement seconde. Both were opposite in direction from the anterior pelvic tilt of battement derrière. All conditions demonstrated pelvic obliquity toward the stance limb, with battement derrière greater than devant and seconde. Battement derrière transverse plane pelvic displacement exceeded that found in devant and seconde. There were also differences in hip angular displacement between conditions in all planes (p < 0.00). Battement derrière hip extension differed from battement devant and seconde flexion. The hip abducted in all conditions, with battement seconde exceeding devant and derrière. In the transverse plane, the hip rotated internally in battement seconde and externally in battement derrière and devant. In battement devant and seconde, peak hip ER decreased relative to baseline, while increasing at the peak of battement derrière. Battement peak velocities were relatively low. The ratio of hip to pelvic angular sagittal plane motion was 4.1, 2.6, and 0.5 in battement devant, seconde, and derrière respectively; 0.9, 2.6, and 1.5 in the frontal plane; and 0.6, 8.5, and 0.2 in the transverse plane. This confirms that pelvic motion provides a large proportion of the battement movement.