Weighted hip belts vs. knee health

[Zamira]

Hi, I noticed on another fitness thread that someone mentioned the concern that weighted hip belts put too much strain on the knees, and I've seen that before on another thread about the belts.

So, why exactly are the belts bad for the knees? I can see that dancing with ankle weights might strain the knee joint, because the extra weight is hanging directly off the knee joint, but the weight from the belt is distributed around the body and in an area that most women carry some extra weight anyway. So, why is the belt more dangerous to the knees than just weighing 10 extra pounds? I'm not trying to be argumentative. I've just toyed with the idea of getting one of these belts, so I want to understand better what the disadvantage of one might be.

[steffib]

My own conjecture (which may be wrong): I would be worried about extra torque - the weight belt is the farthest from the core. And, it is "dead" weight that does not follow one's muscle movement quite like the same amount of body fat would. From what I understand, "dead" weight is harder on the body - just go backpacking with a heavy pack to understand the impact that dead weight and with a center of gravity away from one's body can have. It's not a nice thing.

So, taken all of that - I am kinda reluctant to use a weight belt with my knee problems.

[antimony]

I think it's just as bad for the knees as weighing an extra 10 pounds, and carrying extra weight is always rough on the knees. 10 pounds of weight, added to the body, add about 20-25 extra psi of pressure on the knees.

[HubicRuzz]

I'm completely guessing it's because shimmies starts at the knees so the extra weight acts as a resistances to the knees.

[ra-chell]

I'm glad you posted this thread Zamira. I've been wondering the same thing re: the weight belt. And that's a interesting point Seffib, that it is dead weight vs. muscle/fat. I never thought of that.

[Lauren_]

Originally Posted by antimony

I think it's just as bad for the knees as weighing an extra 10 pounds, and carrying extra weight is always rough on the knees. 10 pounds of weight, added to the body, add about 20-25 extra psi of pressure on the knees.

This is my concern exactly. It's not much worse than carrying 10 extra pounds -- BUT you'd put 10 pounds on gradually, and you'd build some supporting muscle around the knees gradually to help support it. Taking the extra 10 pounds off and putting it on again instantaneously is going to be harder on your knee joints than just gaining 10 pounds -- but gaining 10 pounds is also hard on your knees.

I think putting on a weight belt to do some drills is not so bad. If you're very careful to have good posture, knees neither too bent not too straight, not letting the knees collapse inward. You'd want to be working under the guidance of an instructor who has some real knowledge of body mechanics.

But putting on the belt and dancing, improv or choreo, is a real problem. Stepping, turning, traveling, etc. we can't always maintain perfect technique. It's very easy to twist at the knee, or let the weight drop inward.

Women's knees are particularly unstable and prone to injury because of our relatively wider hips. The femur comes into the knee joint at an angle rather than straight down. Female athletes, dancers, etc. should understand the knee joint and it's surrounding soft tissue so they can protect themselves.

[*Shira*]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Women's knees are particularly unstable and prone to injury because of our relatively wider hips. The femur comes into the knee joint at an angle rather than straight down. Female athletes, dancers, etc. should understand the knee joint and it's surrounding soft tissue so they can protect themselves.

Lauren, can you tell us more about this? Since those of us who teach have primarily female classes, it's an issue we should be aware of, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who isn't knowledgeable about this. From a belly dance perspective, what knee-related dos and don'ts would you recommend we keep in mind when dealing with this particular characteristic of the female anatomy? And how should we adapt when we have a male student?

[Lauren_]

OK -- but I'll let experts do the 'splaining. Here's a nice, quick overview article:
http://carefirst.staywellsolutionson...tedItems/1,152

To protect our knees as dancers, we want to:
- be sure we're working our hamstrings when we crosstrain to correct the common muscle imbalance mentioned.
- be sure we're not working on really bent knees (the duck stance we used to learn years ago) but with soft knees. Having bent knees will overdevelop the quads and can cause your kneecap to track incorrectly.
- Be sure to stretch the quads after dancing/practicing/drilling
- Be aware of how your weight is distributed on your feet. Try this -- stand flat and roll your weight from the inside edges of your feet to the outside and back again, very very slowly. Can you feel the difference in your knees? When we overpronate the feet (roll the weight to the inside) it exaggerates that 'knock-knee' tendency that endangers the female knee.
- When stretching the hamstrings (by sitting or standing with straight legs and bending forward from the hips) always tell students to avoid a sensation of burning in the back of the knee.

Here's a graphic representation of the difference between men's and women's knees:
http://www.genderknee.com/micro/z/ct...avid/44/pid/40

And here's an article specifically about carrying or losing extra weight -- even small amounts -- and its effect on knees. Especially women's knees.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538408

[ra-chell]

Thanks Lauren! That was very helpful and informative esp. since I suffered a knee injury years ago and have tried very hard to be careful to avoid anything that could cause another injury.

[kina]

nice job Lauren :-)

[Lauren_]

Phew, thanks Kina. I was hoping you'd come along & help.

Are you group fitness or personal trainer certified? I can't remember. But I know you're more active in the field than I am, so I'm always happy to have your support or correction.

[kina]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Phew, thanks Kina. I was hoping you'd come along & help.

Are you group fitness or personal trainer certified? I can't remember. But I know you're more active in the field than I am, so I'm always happy to have your support or correction.

Group fitness, my passion , and thanks, I feel the same way about your discussions on yoga, which I love but am a complete noob in.

[Zamira]

Thanks, Lauren, for all that information. So, if I do get a weight belt, I guess I'll start out with only a couple pounds, and maybe add one or two pounds a week, so my muscles can adapt. Better yet, I should make it a goal to lose a real pound for every one I add to the belt.

[sabrinabellydancer]

i asked my trainer and he basically agreed with lauren.

he did say that the weight belt can be very good for strengthening "belly dance muscles" if the belt is worn during standing isolation drills, but not good for practicing turns and things of that nature because the extra force of the weight belt during the turn will pull on our bodies much more than regular body weight and can be a real strain on our bodies. like extra centrifugal force.

good question!

[Zamira]

Delilah is going to be teaching a "power belly" workshop near me in September that's supposed to teach how to use the weight belt. It will be interesting to see if it's almost all standing drills or if she adds moving steps.

[kina]

be very careful of maya's with the weighted belt, they really tend to torque the knees and most people include it in the standing drills.