by Thomas Kurz
In the previous article, “Misconceptions on Stretching and Flexibility and the Method of Testing Your Potential to Do a Side Split (Box Split or Chinese Split),” you have learned how to determine if you have the potential to do a side split, even before you start your stretching program. You have also learned that for many adults, who can perform the side split test, side or straddle splits are still very difficult. At a certain point, well before sliding into a full split, they feel that there is a “stop,” accompanied by pain in the outside hip or upper thigh region that prevents them from sitting in a full side split. In this article you will learn what causes it and what to do about it.
The problem does not seem to be related to the adductors (inner thigh muscles), as they do not feel much tension there. As they continue stretching, their flexibility does improve, but at a very slow rate.
This perceived barrier is a very common problem for people who start stretching as adults. The pain and limitation of the movement sideways in the side (straddle) split is caused by spreading (abducting) the thighs without tilting the pelvis forward. This tilt unwinds capsular ligaments of the hip, among them the pubofemoral ligament that in a normal, non-flexed position would resist excessive abduction and would also, during straight abduction, push up the neck of the femur (thigh bone) into the cartilage collar (labrum acetabulare) at the upper edge of the hip socket. For persons in whom the angle between the neck and shaft of the femur is less than 135°, abduction without tilting the pelvis jams the greater trochanter (a bony process on the top of the femur) against the hip bone.
Front and side view of pelvis, hip bone, femur, thigh bone, hip joint
The forward tilt of the pelvis (hip flexion) realigns the hip joint so its ligaments relax, the neck of the femur does not jam the cartilage at the upper edge of the socket, and the greater trochanter fits into a space behind the hip socket. This is the alignment of your hips in the proper horse-riding stance and this is why alignment of your hips, thighs, lower legs, and feet in a side split should be the same.
Left—Starting position for a side split with feet pointing forward.
Center—Side split with feet pointing forward. Legs are spread sideways and pelvis is tilted forward.
Right—Side split with feet pointing up. The hips are straight thanks to the rotation of the thighs.
Note that in doing a side split with toes pointing forward you not only spread the legs sideways, but also tilt the pelvis forward. In a side split with the feet pointing up, you keep your pelvis straight but rotate the thighs outward. The alignment of the hips and thighs in both types of the side splits is the same.
Another way of finding the correct alignment is to use the horse-riding stance as the initial position for your isometric stretches leading to the side split. Just make sure that your stance is perfect, with your thighs parallel to the floor at any width, toes pointing forward, and chest up.
Left—front view of a “five-step” horse stance
Center—side view of a “five-step” horse stance
Right—front view of a “seven-step” horse stance
To assume a five-step stance stand on attention (feet side-by-side) and then turn out your heels (one-step) , then turn out your toes (two-step), then your heels again (three-step), then turn out the toes again (four-step), and then turn out the heels (five-step).
To sum it all up, you cannot do the side split without either rotating your thighs outward or tilting the pelvis forward. The outward rotation or the forward tilt (hip flexion) unwinds capsular ligaments of the hip, among them the pubofemoral ligament, which resists excessive abduction. Spreading the legs without these additional movements twists and tightens the ligaments of the hip and pushes up the neck of the femur into the cartilage collar at the upper edge of the hip socket. For persons who have coxa vara (less than 135° angle between the neck and shaft of the femur), abducting the thigh without tilting the pelvis jams the greater trochanter against the hipbone above the acetabulum (hip joint cavity).
This jamming of either the neck of the femur into the cartilage or of greater trochanters against hip bones is the cause of pain and of a limit to the sideways movement in both the side split and the raising side kick.
If the outside of your hips hurts when you do high side kicks you need to learn how to tilt your pelvis while you kick. The same forward tilt of the pelvis that helps to do a side split will let you raise your leg higher to the side because the reason for the pain and limitation in the sideways movement in both side kicks and in the side split is the same. In the next article you will learn how to test if your joints and muscles of your thighs and hips will permit you to do a front split.
This article is based on the book Stretching Scientifically. Get this book now and have all of the info—not just the crumbs!
Hey:
I was on the beach doing the side splits, and I think I may have torn my hip labrum? I feel like I went too far down 🙁 This was 6 months ago, and I am still experiencing a dull, steady pain in my hip joint. The joint hurt 5 days after injury, but has been steadily on and off with the dull pain since then. It does not feel right. When I was doing the splits, the inner portion of my feet were on the sand, so the inside of my legs were pointed down. The pain is on the top side/back of my hip joint, right where you mentioned the cartilage would get smashed. What do you think? I had an MRI done that showed some leaky fluid, which may be due to a torn labrum. I am really worried.
Thank you,
Andreas Remis
I have doubts about my isometric side split (toes forward). As I am getting close to the floor, I see that my right leg is slightly ahead of my left knee and pelvis line. Wrong training?
Not necessarily wrong training. Perhaps an asymmetry of posture. If so, then you better correct it soon, before it causes you an injury. Have yourself examined by a physical therapist. My advice on finding therapists is in articles Two Models of Treating Sports Injuries and My Best Advice on Sports Injuries.
hi’
I’m unable to do the test for the side split test as described using the chair, my trunk rotates, I guess indicating the wrong type of hip conformation. Would i still be able to kick high, i.e to the head using other methods of stretching,
thanks W
Assuming you do the test correctly, if the result shows your hip joints won’t let you do a split, then they also won’t let you kick very high (see Kinds of Flexibility and the Right Role of Splits in Taekwondo, Karate, and Kickboxing). If your hip joints don’t have normal ROM but you keep on kicking high, you will damage yourself. Talk about it with a physical therapist. My advice on finding therapists is in articles Two Models of Treating Sports Injuries and My Best Advice on Sports Injuries.
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for this informative article. Would you have any advice or suggestions for someone who while in the straddle can rotate the thighs outward and position the knee and toes upward but has difficulty hinging from the hip to go forward and the buttocks seem to stay fixed on the floor.
Thanks for your time and your comment would be appreciated.
Do you mean you attempt a hip flexion with a simultaneous maximal abduction and maximal external rotation of thighs? A video of what you attempt to do would help answering your question.
Hi,
I seem to have pain only in my left hip socket when attempting to stretch for side splits. It’s a sharp pain, and I can’t seem to get rid of it no matter how much I attempt to rotate my hips or leg (my right leg is fairly comfortable and doesn’t give me much issue other than general flexibility.)
Any idea how I can try to troubleshoot this one leg?
Thanks!
Pain is a sign a dysfunction or an injury. My advice to you is the same as to anyone else who shows a sign of a dysfunction or an injury: Find a therapists like the ones recommended in articles Two Models of Treating Sports Injuries and My Best Advice on Sports Injuries.
Hi kyle what happen to your hips now? I also have that kind of pain in my left hip when i do side splits and kicks. Do i have to go to the doctor instead?
Hello, I don’t know I will explain it well but I will do my best. When I’m doing my side split I am unable to rotate my hips (?) I mean I can’t do all side split so I just sit with my legs little forward and my problem is that I cant put my knees on the floor, rotate my neck of femur, because it hurts but I know that most of my friends who are dancing prefer to lay their knees on the floor but me and maybe 2 people from my dancing group can’t do this and I always rotate my legs outside because I don’t feel pain, but when I try to lay them inside it hurts, what does it mean?
It is not easy to figure out what you mean. A video showing it would help. From your description I guess you try to put inner (medial) surfaces of your knees on the floor (point your feet forward) while sitting in a side split. To do this without pain you need to tilt your pelvis forward–if you don’t, it hurts. See the drawing in the post.
How can I send you video with my side split and my problem?
You may post it on YouTube or some other video sharing site and send me a link.
How can I send you private video, because I don’t want to share it on this page?
The best thing for you to do is to see a good physical therapist. You can find such by asking at https://enjoythechange.com/contacts/ (contacts in Poland and in the U.S.A.) and http://www.instituteofphysicalart.com/index.php/contacts/ as well as through links in my post at http://www.stadion.com/injuries-best-advice-on-sports-injuries/
My hip joints on both sides are hurting so after reading this I will stop stretching for side splits for a while and maybe focus on front splits. But I have seen on youtube that the hips have to pushed backward in order not to get aligned with leg joints and also to further expand the side splits. Even in the second illustrated picture here, the hips are pushed out, even though it says tilted forward. As you go into a lower squat, it is impossible to keep the hips tilted forward and also it’s hard to keep balance that way.
Pushing hips backward does not preclude tilting pelvis forward–actually it necessitates it. In a low squat with weights hips better not be tilted forward (in relation to the spine) as this would hurt the spine. Give a link to the video on YouTube you are referring to so I can see what you mean.
I got a somewhat middle split toes down using isometrics. I am wondering what is the best stretch for toes up version. I am not even close when toes are pointed up.
The toes-forward version is the best position for achieving the toes-up split. The toes-up split (aka “pancake”) is an active display of hip abduction range of motion, and it is difficult to stretch with sufficient leverage to make stretching effective. Training the toes-forward side split (with resistance movements like kettlebell squats in wide horse stance, isometrics in wide horse stance, and relaxed stretching) is an effective way to achieve both the toes-forward and toes-up splits.
What Dan Van Zandt wrote is correct in my opinion. If you feel restriction on side split with feet pointing up, could be for a lesser flexibility of biceps femoris (try to improve your front split stretch), and/or for not following the above mentioned instructions of hip joints alignment described in Mr. Kurz article.
Advice you got from Dan is correct and from Alan too, except for the bit about the biceps femoris–if it were too short for the toes-up split, it would also keep you from doing your toes-forward split (or as you call it, “the toes-down” split).
The best stretches for toes-up side split are the same ones as for the toes-forward split. This is because the alignment of the hips and thighs in both types of the side splits is the same, as explained in the article above.
You are “not even close when toes are pointed up” because then, unlike in the toes-forward split, the weight of your upper body does not help to keep your thighs at your max thigh abduction. For your toes-up side split angle to approach your toes-forward split angle you need to strengthen your thighs’ abductors and external rotators so they can hold your thighs at your max ROM in the split.
Absolutely! (I hadn’t yet seen Jermain’s video when I posted my comment), and the only thing I can add is try to follow advice of Thomas Kurz, to strengthen your thigh’s abductors and external rotators; I think, if you’re in the need to get the safest and fastest method of developing simultaneous strength and Flexibility, just follow to the letter instructions showed in Flexibility Express dvd, where you will be led to achieve a split you can do with feet pointed where ever you like.
I was doing my side split and my breathes started getting heavier until I was literally gasping for air
I wasn’t forcing down that much and I’m just a few inches off the ground (I’ve almost got it!) it’s just, I feel this is unusual?? Like, your lungs stop working when you try to stretch your splits? I didn’t even hit the 20 second mark
This is unusual. I have never seen such a thing in any athlete. Ask your doctor or a good physiotherapist whether it is okay for you to do this exercise. It would be best if you would show your doctor how you do this.