Lateral pelvic tilt exercises are exercises to help you correct your lateral pelvic tilt. These exercises are good ways of stretching the shorter muscles and strengthening the weaker ones. Here in this article, we have comprehensively outlined eight lateral pelvic tilt exercises that will help you.
What is Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
The pelvis is the bone structure above the legs. It helps you walk, run and maintain good posture.
The pelvis should be positioned so that it is parallel to the shoulders and the floor. A lateral pelvic tilt occurs when one hip is higher than the other. It is a postural deviation in which one side of the pelvis is tilted to the left or right, causing one side of the hip to appear higher than the opposite side.
This can cause an increase in the shoulder on the same side or the opposite side of the upper hip, causing back and hip pain and also causing movement dysfunction. Lateral pelvic tilt can cause some muscles to become tight and also weaken some others.
Lateral pelvic tilt exercises can improve your posture by addressing the cause of the postural deviation rather than the symptoms of the deviation.
Massage can help relax tight muscles and performing lateral pelvic tilt exercises daily can help strengthen the weak muscles.
For more comprehensive information on lateral pelvic tilt, read our article on it by clicking this link.
Symptoms of Lateral Pelvic Tilt
Having a lateral pelvic tilt can cause problems such as:
- Back and hip pain
- Unbalanced walking
- misalignment of the spine
How to Know if You have Lateral Pelvic Tilt
To find out if your pool is uneven:
- Stand in front of a large mirror with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Place the heels of your hands on the front of your hip bones, also called the superior anterior iliac spine.
- Hold a piece of string stretched between your two hands or imagine a horizontal line between your hands.
The line between your hands should be parallel to the ground, rather than ascending or descending. If the line is not parallel, you can have a lateral pelvic tilt.
If you are unsure whether you have a lateral pelvic tilt or not, or if you do not feel safe trying to diagnose yourself, you should ask a certified physiotherapist to examine you.
Lateral Pelvic Tilt Exercises
You can try these exercises at home to help correct a lateral pelvic tilt.
1. Hip Realignment
One of the lateral pelvic tilt exercises is the hip realignment. This exercise will help you align your hips with each other.
- Lie on your back, feet against the wall.
- Using the leg on the same side as the hip that leans towards the shoulder, press the leg against the wall.
- At the same time, press the upper part of the hip with your hand.
- Hold the position for 10 seconds, then release.
- Do 12 repetitions.
2. Reverse Leg Raises
Another important lateral pelvic exercises is the reverse leg raises. This exercise will help strengthen the gluteal muscles and improve hip mobility. The lower hip will likely have weaker muscles, which can make this exercise difficult at first.
- Lie on your stomach with your legs flat on the floor and your forehead resting on your hands.
- Lift one leg while keeping your knees straight and your buttock muscles tight. Do not let the other hip lift off the ground.
- Hold the position for 2 to 5 seconds, then lower your leg.
- Do 12 repetitions.
- Change legs.
Do not arch your back when you lift your leg, as this can cause back pain. Tighten your abdominal muscles during this exercise to avoid overarching.
3. Hip Adduction
Hip adduction is one of the many lateral pelvic tilt exercises you can do at home. This exercise will help strengthen the adductor muscles, which are located on the inside of the thigh.
- Lie on your side with both legs straight. Use your forearm to support your head.
- Cross the upper leg over the lower leg, placing the foot of the upper leg on the floor in front of the knee of the lower leg.
- Keeping your lower leg straight, lift it as comfortably as possible.
- Hold the position for 5 seconds, then lower your leg.
- Do 12 repetitions.
- Switch sides.
Make sure you don’t twist your hips when lifting your leg.
4. Reverse Standing Leg Raises
This exercise will strengthen your gluteal muscles and improve your balance.
- Stand while holding onto a wall or the back of a chair for balance.
- Keep your body straight, tighten your abdominal muscles and lift one leg off the ground behind you.
- Raise your right leg behind you as high as you can without arching your back.
- Lower your leg until your toe rests on the floor.
- Do 12 repetitions.
- Change legs and repeat.
Keep your spine straight while you perform this exercise using small, controlled movements. Do not swing your leg as this can cause back pain.
5. Clamshell
There are a lot of lateral pelvic tilt exercises and te clamshell is one of them. This exercise will help improve hip mobility and strengthen the gluteal muscles.
- Lie on your side, both legs bent at a 90-degree angle and the forearm supporting the head.
- Before you begin, turn your upper hip slightly toward the floor, making sure the spine is relaxed and stable.
- Raise your upper knee, but keep your feet together.
- Hold the position for 5 seconds, then lower your knee.
- Do 12 repetitions.
- Switch sides.
Make sure not to twist the spine during this exercise. This can lead to additional stress and back pain. Aim for short, controlled movements.
You can bring your legs closer to your body or stretch them further. Changing the position slightly will help you work all the muscles in that area.
6. Supine Opposite Reach
This exercise aims to stretch and move the muscles and fasciae that connect the pelvis to the spine, shoulders, and limbs. It might be that one side of your body can move better than the other.
- Lie on the floor on your back with your arms outstretched on the floor near your head and your legs slightly apart.
- Move your left hand and your right foot away from your body by pushing the right heel.
- Hold this stretch for three deep breaths and reach with your opposite limbs.
- Perform two sets of 10 repetitions on each side of your body.
7. Prone Opposite Reach
Like the previous exercise, this also produces the same benefits; However, the supine position reach puts less pressure on your lower back.
- Lie on the floor face down, legs slightly apart.
- Bring your arms closer to your head with your palms down so that your head is between your biceps.
- Put a small towel under your face to cushion your forehead.
- Move your left hand and right leg away from your body.
- Hold this stretch for three deep breaths and reach with your opposite limbs.
- Perform two sets of 10 repetitions on each side of your body.
8. Kneeling Lateral Stretch
This exercise stretches the muscles and fascia along the pelvis, torso, and shoulders while keeping the lower body stable in the kneeling position.
- Kneel on the floor with your right knee with your left foot in front of you and with your knee bent at 90 degrees.
- Raise your right hand over your head and squeeze your right buttock to stretch your hip flexors.
- Push the pelvis forward and tilt the torso to the left.
- Hold the stretch for five to six deep breaths.
- Do two sets of stretches on each side of your body.
Get Professional Help
I advise that before trying out any lateral pelvic tilt exercises you need to consult a qualified health and exercise professional to determine the best strategy for treating your lateral pelvic tilt condition. Since everyone has a different body, health and causes of pain that cause a lateral pelvic tilt, an exercise or method that works for one person can harm another, says physiotherapist Gray Cook, author of “Movement”. Corrective training for any condition should be based on each individual, never with a single method.
Conclusion
Lateral pelvic tilt causes pain and discomfort. It makes your walking uneven. However, doing the correct lateral pelvic tilt exercises can help correct this.
Use the mirror test to track your progress. Continue to do these exercises even after realigning your pelvis. This will prevent the condition from developing again.
Source: Healthline, Livestrong.com
