Anterior Pelvic Tilt – How To Fix it

In Order to Fix Anterior Pelvic Tilt You Must Know The Following

When it comes to anterior pelvic tilt there are a few simple concepts you should focus on before you even consider trying to change anything:

• To what degree does your pelvis have ‘anterior rotation’ in the normal upright position.
• Ligament imbalances will lead to the maintenance of the anterior rotation and resultant hyperlordosis (under typical circumstances).
• Short tight hip flexors and lumbar erectors are usually a maintaining factor.
• Weak, elongated hamstrings & rectus abdominis muscles are also a maintaining factor.

In the rest of this article we discuss how to address these factors and if you’re interested in this topic, and making measurable change in terms of alignment, you should definitely see our alignment video on YouTube when you’re done!

Do You Have Anterior Pelvic Tilt (APT)

This “condition”, if you would call it that, is simply a misalignment of the spine and or pelvis. At The Mayfair Clinic, we always work to be as specific as possible which is why we measure this very accurately on X-Ray. To first identify whether or not you have APT, the practitioner must know what “normal” is. We have strict guidelines in the clinic as to what constitutes normal and what is unacceptable. In order to establish normal we refer to a large body of published research on spinal structure, bio-mechanics and alignment.

Having a strong basis in published research as well as clinical experience assessing, treating, and reversing anterior pelvic tilt is important. Too many times we have seen patients which have wrongly been diagnosed with this issue, which can commonly co-occur with back pain, and then have been given incorrect advice or treatment. APT should in our opinion always be diagnosed properly. If you feel you may have “APT” or aren’t quite sure, contact us to see if we can help.

Back Pain & Anterior Pelvic Tilt

We have specifically chosen to avoid ab exercises like leg raises and normal plank or sit-ups because quite often, the position your spine adopts when APT is present is one which leads all too often to back pain and compression of the spine. The combination of compression & shearing forces as the spine is ‘slipping of the base of your sacrum’ due to a steeper than usual slope leads to forces that maintain back pain. Although it is highly unlikely that a ‘slip’ will occur, the forces in the ‘transverse plane’ of the disc are still present. Exercises such as leg raises, planks and sit-ups, work to further increase compression through the disc, most significantly at the L5/S1 segment of the lower back. Avoiding this, where possible, is helpful in the short term if your anterior pelvic tilt is coinciding with an unfortunate episode of lower back pain.

By selecting specific exercises to support the abs and their development safely, you are able to prevent progression in related back pain whilst improving the underlying problem.

Help is at Hand!

If you are suffering from APT, or you think you are we recommend a few specific steps.

If you are confident in your previous diagnosis, try the exercises in the video above and see if things improve (they should)
If they don’t – you likely have the wrong diagnosis or need treatment to deal with any inflammation or tissue damage.
Contact us to have a brief discussion about how you were diagnosed with this, or about how we can help you by providing treatment, extensive analysis, and measurement or preferably both.