Pelvic Tilt Exercises
Simple exercises to increase your pelvic range of motion
The pelvic region, made up of the hip bones, sacrum, and coccyx, play an integral part in our posture. Our pelvic region forms the base for our spine and any restrictions in the movement of these joints can affect our entire spine, up to our neck and head.
Often times, people who experience back pain, also have an incorrect pelvic tilt in their normal posture. If we think of the pelvis as a bowl filled with soup. There are two types of tilts that patients may have.
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
The first is anteriorpelvic tilt. This correlates with the “bowl of soup” spilling out the front side of our pelvis shown in the picture to the right.
This corresponds with:
- “Sway back”
- Rounded abdominal region with unengaged abdominal muscles
- Rear end that is sticking out
This type of pelvic tilt can cause excess pressure on your lower back and create problems throughout the length of your spine.
Posterior Pelvic Tilt
The opposite type of tilt is called posterior pelvic tilt. This correlates to the “bowl of soup” spilling out the back side of the pelvis as shown on the left. This corresponds with:
- Tail bone pointed downwards
- Engaged lower abdominals
- Often with tension in the pelvic floor or buttocks
This type of pelvic tilt can cause a straightening of the natural curvature of your spine. This curvature is important to maintain a health posture.
Exercise
- Start with knees bend, hands on hips.
- Without moving your torso, tilt your pelvis anteriorly (figure 1).
- Maintaining a stable torso, now shift your pelvis posteriorly (figure 2) by engaging your lower abdominals and pelvic floor muscles.
- Continue with slow, steady movements, back and forth between the two tilts.
- Listen to your body and don’t over do it, but make a habit out of this exercise and get those pelvic bones moving!