6 Simple Exercises to Relieve Anterior Pelvic Tilt

The term “pelvic tilt” may be familiar to you if you’ve had a personal trainer or taken a group fitness class. What does it indicate if a fitness professional has told you that you have a pelvic tilt?

Despite its widespread use in society, this term may be foreign to many people. Any type of sustained pelvic tilt can have a negative impact on your back health in the long term if you don’t know how to deal with it.

What Is Anterior Pelvic Tilt?

Millions of people are affected by poor posture each year, and one of the most common signs to look out for is anterior pelvic tilt (APT). More severe forms of APT can produce pain and impaired functional capacity. Fortunately, APT can be treated with workouts and stretches that can relieve pelvic tilt entirely over time.

Anterior, instead of posterior, pelvic tilt, is when the front of the pelvis tilts towards the floor over time when in a standing position. Because of the pelvis’s forward tilt and the buttocks’ outward thrust, APT necessitates an arching of the lumbar spine (hyperlordosis). This can cause pain in the back and throughout the rest of the body, as well as limited mobility.

APT affects people from all walks of life but is most common in those with low levels of physical activity. This is especially common with people who sit for extended periods in their everyday lives such as those who work office jobs.

In most cases, people are unaware that they suffer from APT. This is because most people with APT have no idea how a normal pelvis should feel. Second, the lumbar spine, rather than the hips, is frequently affected by APT pain. Because of this, many people think they have a hip issue.

Causes of Anterior Pelvic Tilt

A common cause is tight hip flexor muscles as a result of sitting for lengthy periods. As your body becomes accustomed to a sitting posture, the hip flexors can tighten and shorten if not regularly stretched and worked.

Any kind of prolonged inactivity will cause the hip flexors to become less elastic. You will be able to observe this by the pain that will initially be experienced when attempting the stretches below.

Our hamstrings and glutes have to relax and lengthen to compensate for these tight hip flexors, and as a result, they become weak. Our spinal extensors are also put under more stress, which is the body’s main resource to keep us upright. In addition, our abdominal muscles, particularly the lower ones, stretch and weaken. The combined effect of all of these processes is a poor posture that will have you hunched over the desk, in pain, and with imbalances that restrict mobility.

All of these compensatory patterns are undesirable because they lead to an imbalance in the biomechanics of the lower limbs and pelvis. The balance between flexibility and strength should be maintained in the muscle groups mentioned above.

Treatment for Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Anterior pelvic tilt treatment primarily depends on the tilt’s nature, severity, and cause. Exercises and physical therapy performed by a licensed physical therapist can be used to treat the majority of patients. Severe cases may necessitate surgical intervention.

Exercises, stretching, and massages are the mainstays of physical therapy to correct anterior pelvic tilt. Initially, it is possible to treat pain with medication.

What Can I Do?

If you feel your APT has been caused primarily by an inactive or seated lifestyle, there are a variety of exercises that can be used to improve flexibility and strength in the affected muscles. However, before you get too carried away with your research, it’s a good idea to seek advice from a seasoned therapist. Seek professional counsel from someone who knows what anterior pelvic tilt [APT] is and whether it applies to your body.

Over the years, many people have come to me claiming they want to ‘repair their APT,’ when they either don’t have one, or it isn’t causing them any problems.

A rapid series of orthopedic tests and postural analysis can swiftly determine whether or not a patient has APT. It’s important to note that these tests aren’t intended to diagnose APT. Instead, they aid the practitioner in forming a mental picture of the patient in front of them. Specifically, they are:

• Observation
• Forward bend
• Straight leg raise
• Pelvis tilt
• Reverse curl
• Thomas Test
• Prone Spring
• Knee flexion, both sides (prone)
• Palpation
• Sacrum rock

Last but not least, the patient’s history is an essential aspect in determining whether or not they are a candidate for APT. The following details should be discussed with your physical therapist:

1. Occupation – sitting for lengthy periods (job or travel)
2. The presence of lower lumbar spine pain
3. Types of exercise – top athlete vs. sedentary worker
4. Forward bending, home stretching, and squatting are limited.
5. Remedies, exercises, and postures

Exercises for Your Pelvic

The exercises below are designed to restore the spine and pelvis into a neutral position at home.

These movements will facilitate hamstring, gluteal, and abdominal muscle activation while stretching the hip flexors.

If you’re suffering from lower back pain, whether caused by APT or not, these exercises may also be able to help you out. Because these workouts are so simple, there’s no limit to how many you can do. As a beginning point, three sets of 15 repetitions three times a day would be an excellent place to start.

Pelvic Tilt

Push your lower back into the ground, moving your pubic bone towards your nose while lying flat on your back with your knees bent and toes pointing forward. Relax after 5-10 seconds of holding.

Hip Bridge

Slowly elevate your pelvis towards the sky while lying flat on your back with your knees bent and toes pointing forward until you make a bridge with your hips. Aim for a straight line between your shoulders, hips, and knees. Finish by softly lowering yourself to the ground.

Plank

Lying face down with your feet shoulder-width apart, form a plank stance. Raise your toes and forearms off the ground. By bringing your pubic bone towards your nose, you may make sure your pelvis isn’t anteriorly rotated. For at least 20 seconds, stay in that position.

Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly bend your knees, lowering your body until your knees are nearly 90 degrees before standing back up. This can be done with a barbell, without, or as part of a fitness class.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneel on one knee and extend the other leg in front of you at a 90-degree angle. Feel the stretch in your other hip by bringing your bent knee forward until it is barely above your toe. Maintain a perpendicular torso to the floor at all times. Hold the position for 10-20 seconds.

Hamstring Curl with Ball

Begin by lying on your back with straight legs and calves or ankles resting on top of the ball. Rest your arms next to you to assist you in maintaining your balance. The movement will be more difficult the further the ball is from your body.

As you elevate your hips toward the ceiling, squeeze your glutes and abs. As you roll the ball toward your glutes, keep your hips elevated and hold for 2 seconds before slowly returning to the beginning position.

If executing this exercise with your hips up is too challenging, try doing it while keeping your hips down. Begin by standing tall and pressing your heels into the ball as you roll the ball toward you in a flowing motion. The hamstrings should still be engaged.

APT Lifestyle Solutions

If you don’t experience improvement after a month of doing these exercises, you may want to seek the help of a professional physical therapist. Consult a medical professional if you’re experiencing any neurological symptoms like sciatica or shooting pains.

If you’re experiencing pain from an anterior pelvic tilt, you’ll need to pay attention to your posture and make some lifestyle changes. Maintaining a good sitting posture is essential for addressing APT.

Schedule time in your day to do the above activities, or add them to an existing routine. If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk, setting reminders in your calendar to get up and walk about can be helpful.

Final Thoughts

Sedentary behavior or improper sitting posture can lead to pretty severe anterior pelvic tilt over time. This is primarily because of the stiffness that builds up in the muscles that flex and extend the hip and lumbar vertebrae. Before beginning a program to reduce anterior pelvic tilt, even if you recognize the general characteristics, assess your flexibility, strength, and movement quality. Hopefully, some of the exercises we’ve mentioned can put you on the road to recovery!