The Power of the Pelvic Tilt

Lower back pain is epidemic and even the healthiest people we see in our office have had some experience with a stiff, achy lower back. While it maybe normal for a pregnant woman in the final trimester, an anterior pelvic tilt is not good news for anyone else. It is a positioning of the body that often results from chronically poor posture and regular inactivity, and it looks like this: 

• shoulders rounded, 
• abdomen protruding 
• head tilted forward, also known as anterior head carriage

This is a position that, if carried on regularly, can lead to unhealthy curvature of the spine, leave the muscles of the back out of balance and magnify the weight of the head to the spine. If this is you, there has never been a better time to start fighting back! The pelvic tilt is a stretch that can be used just about anywhere to provide relief in the lower back. 

• Lay on your back with knees elevated and feet flat on the floor. 
• Place your hand in between the gap formed by the small of your back and the floor. This will be the space you fill with the stretch, so now remove your hand. 
• Inhale and tilt your pelvis, lifting the buttocks and using the abdominal muscles until your back touches the ground. 
• Hold for five seconds then exhale and return to the starting position. 
• This makes 1 rep, repeat 3 times. 

15 seconds to provide relief from the daily accumulation of stress on the lower back. Be diligent! Try performing these stretches when you wake up and right before bed; consistency is the key to a successful stretching program. If you need help addressing postural deficiencies, structural and muscular weakness, or something more serious that is creating a drag on your life, give our office a call so we can help you start on the road to health today. 

Dr. Jeff Haynes, D.C.