Biomechanical analysis of dancer ’ s hip joint during extreme motions

Overload on the hip joint is considered by medical experts as principal cause of hip joint osteoarthritis (OA) which is characterized by the degeneration of the articular cartilages. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between extreme movements and the development of early OA. Thus, the mechanical behavior of dancer’s hip joint under movements characterized by large anatomical angles of the leg is analyzed. Dynamics simulation based on patientspecific model is used to assess the stress during these postures. The simulation results show a correlation between movements and stress depending on the applied load.