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Arabesque
Created by
- Lumen
Category
- Terminology
A pose where you stand on one leg with the other leg extended straight back. You must firmly support your upper body with strong abdominal and back muscles and keep your back straight and long. Also, pushing your shoulders forward, lifting your chin, or tilting your head are causes that ruin the beautiful lines of the arabesque.
The Arabesque is a movement in which the leg is lifted backward, requiring organic movement of the pelvis and spine. While this movement creates beautiful lines, performing it incorrectly can place severe strain on the lower back (lumbar spine).
The effect of arabesques on the waist
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Pelvic tilt and spinal compensatory action: When lifting the leg backward, the pelvis naturally tilts forward. At this time, to keep the upper body upright and maintain the aesthetic lines of the arabesque, the spine must extend (expand) and rotate to perform a compensatory action.
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Localized Overload of the Lumbar Spine: If you fail to flexibly distribute the curve throughout the entire spine (thoracic and lumbar) and instead attempt to secure leg height by excessively bending only the flexible lower back (lumbar) region, localized overload is placed on the lumbar spine. This can lead to excessive lumbar lordosis (swayback).
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Muscle Imbalance and Risk of Fatigue Fractures: When performing an arabesque, if you focus on forcibly contracting only the erector spinae muscles to bend your lower back, the balance between the muscles in the front and back of the torso is disrupted. If this incorrect movement is repeated, it can cause severe pain in the lumbar region and, in severe cases, lead to **spondylolysis**, a type of fatigue fracture caused by the repeated bending of the bones.
Arabesque precautions to prevent back injuries
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Strong abdominal contraction and core maintenance: To relieve tension on the lower back, you must support the upper body by keeping the abdomen and diaphragm taut. You must firmly engage your core by properly contracting the rectus abdominis to prevent the ribs from protruding forward, thereby preventing the lower back from arching.
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Formation of a gentle curve across the entire back: Instead of just bending the lower back, a smooth and long arch should be formed from the upper back (thoracic spine) above the chest down to the neck (cervical spine). Distributing movement across the entire spine helps reduce pressure on the lower back.
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Proper use of hip joints and lower body muscles: For the arabesque, you must first contract the gluteal muscles (especially the gluteus medius) to lift the leg, and firmly fix (lock) the hamstrings and hip joint of the standing leg.
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Prioritize accurate alignment over height: Disrupting the proper alignment of the upper body to lift your legs higher is the behavior you must avoid most. Be careful not to twist your pelvis or shoulders; maintaining the correct position (alignment) of the pelvis and spine is more important, even if it means slightly compromising on leg height.
In conclusion, if your lower back feels like it is about to break during the arabesque, it indicates that your body is malfunctioning due to compensatory mechanisms, so you should exercise caution. If the back pain persists, it is advisable to stop movements that forcefully arch your back and seek a diagnosis from a specialist or doctor.