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Pelvic Tilts; Causes and Solution

When it comes to creating programs, programs that are designed and targeted to improve posture and body alignment is very important.


One common issue in today’s fitness world has been movement dysfunction which is a main cause of muscle imbalance and improper position of the pelvis. It can affect the entire kinetic chain of the body and lead to various issues such as joint and muscle strains.


Your goal is to help your clients avoid getting injured or suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction. It can happen when the muscles that control the floor are lost. Hence, it is important to implement a program that incorporates corrective exercise into a client's program to improve their performance.


Pelvic tilts are mainly classified as anterior, posterior, and lateral. When it comes to identifying a client's pelvic tilt, it is very important that you do so in the proper manner. Let’s look into details of these tilts.


  • Anterior Pelvic Tilt: is a condition where the front portion of the pelvis rotates forward while the back portion stays put. It can be caused by poor posture or even inactivity. The joint's instability can also cause the gluteus maximus muscle to get weak. This could result in the muscles not being able to maintain the correct position.

  • Posterior Pelvic Tilt: This variant of the issue is similar to the anterior Pelvic tilt problem. It occurs when the front of the pelvis elevates and the bottom of the pelvis rotates beneath the body. This issue would benefit from regular exercise.

  • Lateral pelvic tilt: is a type of imbalance that occurs when the pelvis shifts sideways. It can also cause unilateral muscle imbalances in the body. The erector spinae muscle group can also affect this tilt.

Pelvic tilts are often triggered by certain movements or lack of movement. Commonly known causes are:


  • Hip flexors: Anterior pelvic tilt is caused by the tight hip flexor muscles. These muscles are responsible for loosening or lengthening the hip extensors. The other muscles that are attached to the pelvis and the lower back are known as the sartorius, iliopsoas, and rectus femoris. Pelvic tilts are important for the development and delivery of babies. Aside from improving the general health of the body, performing these exercises can also strengthen different muscles.

  • Hamstring/Glutes/Abs: When the front portion of the pelvis tilts up, the glutes and hamstrings pull the bottom of the pelvis toward the abdomen.

  • Quadratus Lumborum: A lateral pelvic tilt is a type of muscle contraction that occurs when one leg is shorter than the other. The quadratus lumborum muscle is a deep abdominal wall muscle that can be attached to both the lower and upper back. It helps stabilize the pelvis by bending the spine from one side to the other. Position of the pelvis is the first step to prevent a potential pelvic tilt. Having the proper positioning of the pelvis can help prevent this issue.

After determining what kind of pelvic tilt, a client has, it's important that you provide an explanation of the surrounding anatomy. The Thomas Test is a simple and effective test for anterior pelvic tilt. For the test, have your client lie on a flat surface and have one leg come off at the edge. Then, have the client pull their other leg into their chest with both arms. By doing so if her/his leg that is touching flat on the surface lifts off the surface It indicates they have an anterior pelvic tilt.


When designing program for anterior pelvic tilt we should make sure that it involves exercises that helps with the strengthening of the quadriceps and hip flexors to improve joint stability and core strengthening exercises to improve joint mobility. Some of these exercises are designed to address the anterior pelvic tilt. They can be used for designing a program that addresses various issues related to this anatomical tilt.

  • Birddog: Strengthens glute and core stability

  • Deadbug: core and hip stabilization to align the pelvis

  • Lying glute bridge: glutes and hamstrubg strength

If a client has a posterior pelvic tilt, then it can be as simple as looking for the natural lower back curve. You can then confirm this issue by examining the posterior superior iliac spine. The superior inferior iliac spine is located at the back of the pelvis. It can be distinguished by the two bony landmarks at the lower back region. If the two are almost horizontal, then it should be a sign of posterior pelvic tilt.


If you are a trainer, then you should perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine if you have posterior pelvic tilt. You should then formulate a program to address these issues. These exercises can be used when designing a program to improve the posterior pelvic tilt.

  • Lying leg raises: It strengthens the weak hip flexors

  • Superman: Strengthens weak glutes and lumbar spine

  • Good Morning: encourages hip hinge movement and anterior pelvic tilt position

The Trendelenburg test can tell if a client's hip abductors are weak. For the test, ask a client to stand tall and lift one foot off the ground. If the test shows the dropping in the hip of the leg on the ground, it proves that the glutes on that side is not activating properly, meaning the client has a lateral pelvic tilt.

If the upper body is tilted one way more than the other, then the pelvis may be shifted upward. If the opposite side is bent, then the ilium may rotate internally or externally. Having a client that has lateral pelvic tilt issues is not hard to find. In order to address this issue, you need to focus on the weaker and tighter parts of the body. You should also perform glute strengthening exercises to target the weaker muscles.


These exercises are designed to help you address the lateral pelvic tilt issue by improving the coordination of the legs. They can be performed by people with limited mobility.

  • Clamshell: strengthen glueus medium helping to stabilize your pelvis, creates more balance between inner and outer legs

  • Glute Kickback: fixes unilateral imbalance

  • Lying Reverse Leg Raises: this will help strengthen the weaker side

Even knowing all these, as a personal trainer, we have to make sure that we know our legal duties are when it comes to dealing with clients with movement dysfunctions.


Credits:

<a href='https://www.freepik.com/photos/people'>People photo created by shurkin_son - www.freepik.com</a>


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