Why Your Pigeon Pose Sucks - Hip Anatomy
Jun 06, 2022
How to improve your pigeon pose
“My hips aren’t built for pigeon stretch”
…You might be right. It depends on hip anatomy!
Hip Anteversion
On the left, Kayla has an anteverted femoral head which “points forward” more, leaving less room in the back of the socket for External Rotation, but more room in the front for Internal Rotation.
Kayla is even hypermobile! But once you run out of room in the back of the socket.... there’s nowhere else to go.
Retroverted Hip
Conversely, on the right, I have a retroverted femoral head that "points backward" more, leaving more room in the back of the socket for External Rotation, but less room in the front for Internal Rotation.
Her hip may have this bony morphology from W-sitting as a child, because the femoral head shape adapts to the stress placed on it.
(Similar to how baseball players get humeral retroversion from the repetitive stress of throwing a baseball.)
If working into this position gives you a stretch sensation and no pain, you may be working through some soft tissue limitations.
All good. But if you’re forcing yourself into pigeon, shinbox, splits, etc and get lingering pain after, then it’s not the right stretch for you.
Moral of the story: Everyone’s hips are shaped differently. If a stretch hurts you.... don’t do it.
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