Proper pelvic and spinal alignment is important for posture, respiration and to keep an efficient relationship to gravity. The spine's perfect design allows for flexibility, shock absorption and for humans to stand and walk on two feet. A research study published in "Spine," found that poor spine and pelvis alignment was directly related to pain intensity. Those considered as having a neutral posture had a lesser degree of pain than those who were non-neutral. Certain exercises will help you better understand and achieve proper pelvic alignment.
Neutral
In order to properly align your pelvis, you need to first understand the ideal. The skeleton chart is always a good visual reference when trying to better understand where the pelvis should be in relationship to the rest of the body. Tactile sensory information is also helpful when trying to determine exactly where your bones are in space. When lying on the floor your head, midback and sacrum should be touching the floor. The pubic bone and the anterior superior iliac spine should be level.
Pelvic Clocking
Pelvic clocking is a great way to feel for imbalances. While lying with bent legs, imagine there is a clock under your pelvis with 12 o'clock at the belly button and 6 o'clock at the pubic bone. See if you can hit all of the numbers in the clock moving your pelvis in a clockwise manner. Knowing which numbers are challenging to hit is helpful in understanding postural patterns and tightness. You should be able to to tip the pelvis around to each number while holding bent legs stable.
Marching
After you have an understanding of how and where to place your neutral pelvis, it is important to see if you can move your hip joints. While lying with bent legs, hold the neutral pelvis. With an anchored sacrum, see if you can lift one leg at a time. Keep your knees bent. See how far you can lift your leg without moving your pelvis. Moving your legs while maintaining neutral will help with pelvis and trunk stability.
Standing
Trying to find a neutral pelvis is much more challenging when standing in space. Using a mirror, notice if both sides of your pelvis are level. One side shouldn't be higher to your shoulder. When standing sideways in relation to the mirror, notice if you have a small arch in the lower back. Try lifting one leg at a time similar to the marching exercise. Stabilize your pelvis as you lift your leg.
References
- "Spine"; Classification of Sagittal Thoraco-lumbo-pelvic Alignment of the Adolescent Spine in Standing and Its Relationship to Low Back Pain; A. Smith, P. O'Sullivan, L. Straker; 2008
Member Comments