Why is Pelvic Tilt Important?
A neutral pelvis is essential because it keeps your spine aligned, reducing the risk of back pain while promoting core stability and efficient movement. This positioning allows surrounding muscles to work together effectively, minimizes stress on your joints, and supports good posture. Ultimately, maintaining a neutral pelvis helps you move better, stay pain-free, and enhances overall physical performance.
Pelvic Tilt
A pelvic tilt is a common postural abnormality that happens when your pelvis leans too much toward one side.
This deficiency typically develops when your pelvic muscles stay in one position for extended periods.
For example, slumping on your couch or sitting in an uncomfortable office chair for hours can cause your pelvic muscles to adjust to these positions.
The adapted muscles can alter your range of motion, and cause many long term back and joint problems
Why is it a problem?
If left unchecked, it causes:
Your spine needs a stable foundation. Without it, pain and injury is inevitable.
Eventually, the strain of imbalanced muscles can become too much to handle. And something as simple as sneezing or tying your shoes can “throw out” your back.
Symptoms
Tension in the neck muscles
Lower back pain
Hip and knee pain
Sciatica
Arthritis of the low back
Disc degeneration
Two Types Of Pelvic Tilt
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
&
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
APT is defined as a forward tilt of the pelvis, resulting in a hollow low back and a bulging tummy. t’s often caused by excessive sitting without enough exercise and stretching to counteract the effects of sitting all day.
Over 80% of the people with back pain showed signs of ATP Syndrome.
1. The quadriceps (the big muscles on the front of your thighs) are TOO STRONG, pulling the front of your pelvis down
2. The hamstrings (the big muscles on the back of your thighs) are TOO WEAK, allowing the back of your pelvis to rise up
Spinal damage that occurs with APT:
The joints between the vertebrae are forces together with every movement causing wear-and-tear and eventually Osteoarthritis.
The discs between the vertebrae are constantly compressed at the back, eventually rupturing the disc, and pinching the nerve.
Exercises
- Begin by lying on your back on a mat with your knees bent and feet placed flat on the floor.
- Position your right hand behind your right knee and slowly pull your right knee in towards your chest and then bring your left knee in towards your chest.
- Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Relax and slowly lower one leg at a time to the starting position.
- Aim for 3 repetitions of this stretch.
- Begin this stretch on your hands and knees.
- Inhale and let your stomach “drop” towards the floor as you look up towards the ceiling.
- Exhale and slowly round your spine while pressing into the floor with your hands and slightly curving your neck to look at your feet.
- Aim for 5 repetitions of this stretch.
– Begin in a standing position with your feet positioned about shoulder width apart.
– Look straight ahead and brace your core.
– Keep your abdominals tight, then hinge at your hips and bent your knees to about 90 degree angle (as if you’re sitting).
– To come up, use your legs first and then follow through with your glutes (squeeze your butt). – Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions.
**We don’t recommend squatting past 90 degree angle. Even small range squatting will strengthen your muscles
Begin lying on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet positioned flat on the floor with your arms positioned beside your torso.
– Brace your core and squeeze your butt before any movement.
– While bracing, lift your butt off the floor, and continue squeezing your butt.
– Hold this position for 5 seconds and return slowly to the starting position.
– Aim for 10 repetitions.
**Don’t hyperextend during this movement, you should feel your glutes firing
– Begin lying on your back with both arms extended towards the ceiling.
– Lift your legs off the floor to 90 degrees.
– Exhale to bring your ribcage down and try to flatten your back onto the floor by rotating your pelvis upwards and bracing your core muscles (this is the starting position for this exercise that you need to hold throughout the movement).
– Start the exercise by extending your left leg, straightening at the knee and hip and bringing the leg down to just above the floor (don’t let your lower back arch); at the same time, lower your right arm back to just above the floor.
– Keep your abdominal and gluteal muscles tightened and return your left leg and right arm to the starting position.
– Repeat with your right leg and left arm.
– Alternate sides for 20 repetitions.
- Begin this stretch by kneeling on a soft surface.
- Bring your right leg in front and place your foot flat on the ground so that your knee is positioned over your ankle.
- Your left knee should remain in contact with the soft surface and should be bent at 90 degrees.
- Slowly slide your right foot forward a few inches while bracing your core.
- Squeeze your right gluteal muscles and shift your hips forward.
- Your left knee should now be bent slightly more than 90 degrees.
- Hold the end position for 10 seconds.
- Aim for 10 repetitions of this stretch and perform it on both sides.
- Begin by positioning yourself on the floor on your hands and knees with your knees slightly wider than your hips.
- Turn your toes inwards to touch and push your hips backwards while bending your knees.
- Once you’re in a comfortable position, straighten your arms forward and allow your head to fall forwards into a relaxed position.
- Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
- Aim for 3 repetitions.
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Posterior pelvic tilt is the opposite of anterior pelvic tilt.
It occurs when the pelvis rotates backward, causing the front to rise and the back to drop.
The hips shift under the spine removing the natural lumbar curve.
You will have a flat back and bottom, and rounded shoulders with the head leaning forward.
PPT is characterised by tight hamstring and abdominal muscles, with weakness in the hip and lower back muscles.
Spinal damage that occurs with PPT
The capsules of the joints between the vertebrae are constantly under tension, making them weak and overstretched, allowing excessive movement in the joint. Eventually causing wear-and-tear and Osteoarthritis.
The discs between the vertebrae are constantly compressed in the front, eventually it will become weak and overstretched rupturing the disc and pinching the nerve.
Exercises:
– Begin in a seated position on a hard chair
– Stretch your left leg out in front of you
– Bend forward and reach for your toes, to the point where you feel a slight stretch
– Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds
– Slowly return to the starting position
– Repeat on your right side
– Aim for 3 repetitions on each side
– Begin lying on the ground with your hands flat on the floor at the level of your shoulders
– Slowly push your hands to raise your shoulder off of the ground until you feel a slight stretch
– Increase your range of motion by exhaling as you push further into lumbar extension
– Aim for 5 repetitions
– Begin by standing with your feet together
– Step your left leg out in front of you
– Bend your left leg to a 90 degree angle (your right knee should touch the floor while your left leg is at 90 degrees)
– Push up on your left leg to return to the starting position
– Repeat on your right side
– Aim for 3 sets of 10 lunges on each side
** Ensure that your knee doesn’t pass the level of your toe while in the lunge position, because this position increases stress on the knee
Begin lying on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet positioned flat on the floor with your arms positioned beside your torso.
– Brace your core and squeeze your butt before any movement.
– While bracing, lift your butt off the floor, and continue squeezing your butt.
– Hold this position for 5 seconds and return slowly to the starting position.
– Aim for 10 repetitions.
**Don’t hyperextend during this movement, you should feel your glutes firing.
Leg Raises – Leg raises are a low-impact exercise that strengthens your legs and your core to fix and prevent issues with pelvic tilt. To perform leg raises lie on the floor either on your back or your side. We recommend doing side leg raises (lie on your side) as well as front leg raises (lie on your back). Start by slowly lifting your leg up then down. Do this in a controlled way several times. Try to keep the rest of your body on the ground and still.
– Begin on your hands and knees, with your hands positioned under your shoulders and knees positioned under your hips.
– Brace (contract) your core as hard as you can before beginning any movement.
– While bracing your core, raise your left arm and reach it forwards until it is aligned with your torso; at the same time, kick your right leg backwards until is it aligned with your torso.
– It’s important to not arch your low back as you do this.
– Hold this position for 2-3 seconds before slowly returning to the starting position.
– Repeat with your right arm and left leg.
– Alternate sides for 10 repetitions.
Place both hands high up on a wall in front of you.
Lean firmly into your hands.
DO NOT over arch your lower back.
Keep your lower rib cage down.
Aim to feel tension in the middle of your thoracic spine.
Oscillate for 30 repetitions.
Repeat 3 times.
Superman Stretch – This exercise is similar to the leg raises except you start by lying on your stomach with your hands outstretched above your head. Each repetition consists of lifting your chest and arms (which kind of looks like Superman flying). Hold this position for 15-30 seconds. If you have to lift your feet to counterbalance your body that’s okay.
Begin with a good posture by tucking your shoulders and your chest up and out.
Pull your neck/chin backward, making it seem you have a double chin.
Stay in this position for three to five seconds before releasing it.
Repeat the same process more than ten times.
Solution!!!
The solution to APT and PPT is three fold:
1. Improve your posture.
2. Movement, specifically stretching and strengthening the relevant muscles.
3. Chiropractic treatment; every joint needs to function optimally as much as possible!
Prevention
Avoid sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Take regular breaks that involve walking around or stretching.
Engage in regular physical activity. This should include both stretching and strengthening exercises.
Adapt your workspace to ensure proper posture.
Get regular Chiropractic treatment to assist all the stressed joints to function optimally.
Another thing to consider is that these muscle imbalances are often a result of years of poor postures, there are no quick fixes, all these suggestions must be followed.
THE GOOD NEWS !
Both these conditions are reversable and treatable!!
If you do not have symptoms yet, this is the best time to start prevention.
If you are already symptoms and poor posture, it will take longer to get results, but the sooner one starts the sooner you will feel better.
It will be the best investment in you spine you can make.