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While most of us find exercise a little tough on our bodies, it is one of the most important lifestyle changes we need. Lateral Pelvic Tilt is one of the common causes of lack of mobility in the body. Lateral pelvic tilt takes place when our pelvis shifts side to side. In simpler words, our one hip moves higher compared to the other. Well, this situation might not sound that tough to you, but it can lead to severe issues like problems in walking.
The most commonly adjoined muscle group to the pelvis is erector spinae muscle and must be well taken care of in this situation. It is essential to provide the lumbar spine a neutral position to operate efficiently; however, with lateral pelvic tilt, one might start facing a situation where the shoulders don’t sit in line.
This article will briefly go through the different explanations between lateral pelvic tilt and different exercises, which helps deal with the same.
What is Pelvic Tilt?
To get into the details correctly, one must know what pelvic tilt means. The pelvic tilt is often characterized as a contributor to the lack of mobility in the human body. It affects the posture, stability, and motor control of the human body. Humans need to have their pelvis aligned to their bodies to give the body a perfect space. However, the pelvis might tilt towards one of the directions leading to differences in postures and disruption in the whole human system.
The pelvic tilt issue is very relatable to human beings lacking exercise. Usually, the hip extensors and flexors are heavily involved in the process. The muscles are adjoined to the back, and therefore, we can expect this to tense up the area affecting the lower back region and giving an improper posture to the body. In simple words, one can address the neuromuscular patterns related to our lower back. These muscles have the strength to hold on to the pelvis, which gives rise to a tilted position. While neuromuscular pattern sounds scary to humans, it can also be a brain-muscle habit where one tends to overuse either side of the brain.
While pelvic tilt is considered problematic, there are worse conditions associated with the same. Therefore, if you find any issue with your posture or a massive pain in your lower back region, it is best to consult a doctor and avoid further complications like pelvic floor dysfunction.
Apart from it, one must not take it casually as there is a danger of completely losing muscle control in that region. This might add up to complete loss of control with different organs. Therefore, this requires proper care and corrective exercises to build a durable body for the long run.
Let’s discuss what lateral pelvic tilt is and the symptoms related to it.
What is Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
The lateral pelvic tilt is easier to define when discussed in simple words. In easier words, it’s the tilt of either waist, where one becomes higher than the other (Hip Hike) or when one gets lower than the other (Hip drop). In other words, we can relate lateral pelvic tilt to uneven hips. Scoliosis and leg length difference is often related to lateral pelvic tilt. However, we must not forget how poor posture or postural discrepancies can also lead to the same symptom.
To describe it in better words, one can address the same to shortening of the adductors, quadratus lumborum, or gluteus medius on either side of the body. This leads to weak muscles on the other side of the body, making it difficult for humans to proceed with daily life.
Symptoms of Lateral Pelvic Tilt
While we know what lateral pelvic tilt is, it is essential to address its different symptoms. This helps discover the issue as soon as possible (if it exists).
- One can check out their lower spine and stomach posture. Lateral pelvic tilt leads to protruding stomach and the lower spine curve.
- Hardening of muscles in the thigh and pelvic area. Due to contracting muscles, one can address the tight muscles in the region as one of the symptoms.
- While most of us forget to notice it, with lateral pelvic tilt, the hips get uneven. This gives a different posture leading to problems in walking. One can detect the same by the uneven walking pattern in a human being.
- Extreme cases of lateral pelvic tilt also lead to unevenness in the shoulder height.
- While lateral pelvic tilt leads to a difference in legs length, one must not confuse it with another condition known as leg length discrepancy, where the length of one leg is longer than the other.
- The internal rotation of the legs is a vital posture to look out for. Due to lateral pelvic tilt, one can experience the inward rotation of his legs. However, there is a high chance that the lateral pelvic tilt is caused due to the issue, which must be addressed with the foot being the starting point. With a flat foot or collapsed arch, one can face hip drop and femur rotating inward.
- While all of the above sounds like minor issues, one must understand the prolonging effect lateral pelvic tilt can cause. With no treatment or corrective exercise, one can experience severe conditions like disc degeneration. Another serious condition is sacroiliac joint pain which gets hard to get rid of.
Causes of Lateral Pelvic Tilt
Being aware of the different symptoms of lateral pelvic tilt is a great idea, but precaution is always better than the cure. Therefore, adopting specific lifestyle changes can highlight all the different issues one must deal with.
#1 Bad Posture
Even though we practice maintaining the best of the body postures, we slip into that comfortable position that might not be the right one for us. When we spend enormous time in the same posture, our tissues adapt to that posture causing unforeseen problems. Therefore, if the posture isn’t taken care of initially, things will worsen with old age. When lateral pelvic tilt occurs due to structural scoliosis, things are bitter to take care of.
Apart from it, traditional treatments for lateral pelvic tilts focus on dealing with situations where the muscle gets tightened. This involves physical therapy, exercise, and stretching to relax the muscles.
Another reason which factors into lateral pelvic tilt is the habit of not sitting correctly. In the 21st century, we are bound to sit in the wrong posture due to the large desk requirement. While most people try to avoid the situation, it is essential not to consider it a usual problem. Prolonging sitting in the wrong position can cause stress on the spinal column can lead to wrong interaction between the muscles and ligaments in our body.
Therefore, follow all the exercises mentioned below in the article to avoid lateral pelvic tilt.
#2 Leg Length Discrepancy
There is a massive possibility that having a lateral pelvic tilt is something that you are cursed with. This is very much possible as one has varying leg length. One leg being structurally more extended than the other can lead to lateral pelvic tilt, and therefore, the side with a longer leg has the hip higher than the other. To measure the same, one must lie down and length down both the legs properly. If the leg length is different for both, the issue must be addressed as soon as possible. One can go for physiotherapy to treat the same.
#3 Neurological Condition
One might face different neurological conditions which can be challenging to address without a proper test. This neuron condition can lead to prolong issues in dealing with lateral pelvic tilt and other muscle issues related to the same. Therefore, we advise everyone to take it seriously and deal with the issue as one should.
Visit a doctor and get yourself treated as soon as possible. One must follow a proper corrective exercise routine to reduce the inflammation and contraction in the muscles until that time.
3 Corrective Exercises for Lateral Pelvic Tilt
While we look out for the symptoms and causes of pelvic tilt, one must be aware of the different corrective exercises. These exercises help to align your pelvis as any other human being has. We will briefly mention 3 different home exercises that will minimize your pain and help you deal with the same smartly. However, one can’t expect immediate relief as this is a long-term process and can take anywhere near 6 months with other medications.
#1 Reverse leg raises
To begin with, one must look out for their gluteus muscles as it focuses on improving hip mobility. One can easily find this exercise to be the toughest among the lot as it gets hard for the leg with the lower hip to raise the leg backward. Therefore, we recommend going slow with the exercise and not pushing the limits in the beginning week.
Follow the steps below to achieve excellence in the exercise –
- Follow a simple posture by lying down on the ground with your forehead on your hand with your stomach facing the ground. Make sure to keep your leg straight in a resting phase.
- Now, move your one leg upwards while keeping the knee straight and gluteus muscles (butt muscles) tight. Also, do not allow the other hip to get off the floor.
- Try to hold your leg in the air for 5-10 seconds and slowly lower your leg but don’t touch the ground.
- Repeat this set 12*3 times with alternative legs at a time.
This exercise also helps tighten the abdominal muscles, which prevents back pain. Therefore, make sure to use your abdominal muscles during the exercise by not arching your back.
#2 Standing Reverse Leg Raises
While most of us lie down on our stomachs to get the reverse leg raises correct, it is not a mandatory process to be in the game. If you have steady balance and the will to strengthen your butt muscles, then opting for standing reverse leg raises is a perfect idea.
- Keep your body straight and try to raise your leg behind as much as possible. To support, one can take the help of a wall or a chair to hold on to.
- Keep the knees straight and tighten the buttock muscles to get maximum results.
Follow the exercise 12*3 times with alternative legs to go with. Also, make sure to keep your spine straight. Apart from it, avoid swinging your legs as it can cause back pain, harmful in the long run.
#3 Clamshell
As complex as the name sounds, the exercise is fun to go with. It helps in improving hip mobility and, therefore, slowly cures lateral pelvic tilt.
- With your bottom hand supporting the head, lie down on either of your sides and bend your leg at a sharp 90-degree position.
- Before moving forward with the exercise, make sure to keep your spine relaxed to avoid any injury.
- While keeping your foot together, move your knee upwards and hold the position for 10-15 seconds.
Repeat the exercise 12*3 times for both legs. Also, as the exercise starts becoming more accessible, one can increase the position duration to get the corrective posture as soon as possible.
It is essential to keep the motion short and in control. This way, one can avoid any additional tension in their muscles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Can one correct the Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
While it sounds like an unachievable plan, lateral pelvic tilt can be taken care of with physical therapy and stretching. However, in some cases, the situation can be extreme, and therefore, one might need to opt for surgical treatment to rectify the spinal deformity.
Q2. Can Chiropractors help with lateral pelvic tilt?
Most of us want to get rid of the issue as soon as possible. However, the situation must be taken care of in an intelligent way. Chiropractors usually opt to deal with anterior pelvic tilt and minimize the symptoms. Apart from it, chiropractors with years of experience can align your spine back to its original place.
Q3. How can we treat a lateral pelvic tilt?
While emergency care is the go-to place for every human body problem, it is sometimes wise to visit a physical therapist or personal trainer to mend problems like lateral pelvic tilt. Based on the suggestions by a physical therapist, one can decide whether to operate the same or not.
Takeaway
Everything that you must be aware of has been mentioned in this article. Lateral pelvic tilt should be taken very seriously, and the prolonged medication must be appropriately followed by following an everyday routine. Whatsoever, our team is always available to help you with your solution over the comment section.
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