Why You Should Never Force Your Turnout

Dancers, especially those in ballet, are expected to utilize a rather large amount of external rotation of the legs, called turnout. Anatomically speaking, turnout is the combination of external rotation of the hip joint, tibial torsion (slight external rotation of the lower leg as compared to the thigh), and slight external rotation of the foot. Turnout is supposed to be created and maintained through hip/pelvis and thigh musculature. However, in an effort to achieve the largest degree of turnout possible, some dancers “force” turnout, using the friction from the floor to hold the foot in a more turned out position than the dancer can achieve using the hip and thigh muscles.

Forcing turnout causes a plethora of problems for the body. The positioning alone places the feet beyond a naturally-achievable alignment, making the rest of the body compensate to maintain a standing position. These compensations include “rolling in” or pronating the feet, a tendency for the knees to move medially (like closing a clamshell), the kneecaps being pulled tight against the lateral aspect of the femoral groove, anterior rotation of the pelvis, and an arched lower back (hyperlordosis – see the post on carrying for a drawing depicting anterior pelvic rotation and hyperlordosis). The torque from the floor and associated postural changes caused by forcing turnout place a great deal of strain on the body’s tissues, leading to accelerated tissue breakdown, especially for ligaments and the protective cartilage lining joint surfaces.

So, what happens when you take this bad positioning as a starting point and then perform full-body movements (like plié, jumps, etc.)? The short answer: poor aesthetics, more effort expenditure while moving, capped physical performance ability, pain, and injuries.

Forcing turnout during pliés can cause:
Injuries

• medial knee pain
• tendinitis or strains of several muscles, including:
• posterior tibialis
• flexor digitorum longus (FDL)
• flexor hallucis longus (FHL)
• anterior tibialis
• 1st metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint inflammation and pain (your 1st MTP joint is the joint between your big toe and the rest of your foot)
• pain on the lateral aspect of the leg at the ankle and knee due to displacement of the fibula (one of the two bones in the lower leg)
• excessive pronation

Problems for Aesthetics/Performance Quality

• rolling in of the feet that becomes amplified as the plié deepens
• knees close in toward the front of the body
• abnormal pelvic positioning compensations to maintain intended positioning

Forcing turnout while jumping also leads to the problems experienced during plié since all jumps start with some degree of plié. Additionally, landing from jumps can be especially dangerous for dancers who force turnout. Dancers routinely forcing turnout typically do not activate (technical term for “use”) the muscles that stabilize the pelvis and externally rotate the legs. These muscles are critical for safe jump-landings because they help keep the knees in alignment with the hips and feet. Landing with the knees bowing in toward each other (called a valgus motion) is highly associated with knee pain and injury, including patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFS), dislocation of the kneecap, and ACL tears. Landing while trying to force turnout also restricts the dancer’s ability to land with proper mechanics at the foot/ankle (rolling through the foot to the heel).

Final Word

Don’t force turnout. Ever. It puts your body at an elevated risk of degeneration, pain, and injury. Forcing turnout causes a decline in your aesthetic quality and performance abilities while simultaneously making you work harder while dancing. Lastly, forcing turnout from the floor doesn’t help you when your leg is in the air! Do your body and your dancing career a favor and make certain you’re achieving your turnout using the correct muscles instead of forcing your legs into uncomfortable positions they can’t achieve or maintain.

And, lastly, because turnout is hard: