What is Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
Lateral pelvic tilt is a postural asymmetry where one side of the pelvis hikes relative to the other.
Why do you want to Fix Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
Lateral pelvic tilt correlates with limited movement in the hips, pelvis, and low back.
Often, it can occur after an injury and then fail to resolve on its own.
And in these cases, it can contribute to persistent pain and movement limitations.
If you want to learn about what I’ll cover in the next sections, check out my recent YouTube Video:
Why is it so hard to Fix Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
Most who give advice on fixing lateral pelvic tilt look at the body in an incomplete way.
They describe the body as a pulley system, with the muscles being the pulleys.
They describe lateral pelvis tilt as some pulleys pulling too much and others not enough.
In their view, muscles pulling too much are tight. And muscles not pulling enough are weak.
The muscles they tend to focus on include the QL, back muscles, psoas, abdominals, and side glutes.
They’ll tell you that your side glutes and abs are weak. And your QL, back, and psoas muscles are too tight!
Or they might say that the same muscles on either side are tight and weak, respectively.
But this approach rarely works. And the reason is that the body is NOT a pulley system.
Unlocking the Secret to Get Lasting Changes
The secret to improving lateral pelvic tilt is to see beyond the pulley system.
You must understand that the body is a piston system embedded inside the pulley system.
The piston system is the inside muscles of the body. And together, they form a cylinder and piston.
Piston System:
Piston = Diaphragm
Cylinder = Abdominals, Back and Pelvic Floor
Together, these muscles create pressure. This pressure allows us to shift fluid within the body.
When the diaphragm contracts, it moves down and increases pressure in the abdomen. This shifts fluid (guts) down.
When the diaphragm relaxes, it relaxes abdominal pressure. This allows fluid (guts) to flow up.
How does this cause Asymmetry?
If you’re paying attention, you’re likely wondering how a single piston causes asymmetry.
Well, it doesn’t.
Because the body is actually not a single piston, it’s TWO!
Two-Piston System:
Pistons = Left & Right Hemi-Diaphragms
Cylinder = Left & Right Abdominals, Back and Pelvic Floor
If the movement of one piston differs from the other, increased asymmetry is the result!
Notice the difference in attachments and size of the left and right hemi-diaphragm. Asymmetry in diaphragm shape, size, and organs all contribute.
Image credit: https://rotel.pressbooks.pub/anatomyphysiology/chapter/10-muscular-system-anatomy/
Example:
Imagine the right piston moves down faster and more than the left.
- Pressure in the right piston pushes fluid volume down.
- Left piston doesn’t oppose pressure from the right.
- Fluid volume flows away from higher pressure and towards lower pressure.
If this occurs step after step and breath after breath, you’ve got a lateral pelvic tilt!
In this case, the left hip drops to accommodate the shift in volume. The right hip hikes to exert leftward pressure to stabilize a weakened left side.
How do you Fix Lateral Pelvic Tilt?
To actually fix lateral pelvic tilt, you need to strengthen and balance the piston system.
Here’s a step-by-step:
1. Identify the hiked and dropped side
2. Strengthen the diaphragm of the dropped side
3. Relax the diaphragm of the hiked side
An easy way to achieve this is with specific breathwork and positional drills.
One of the best is abdominal opposition, which helps to increase pressure in the abdomen:
(Video from Movement Foundations Program Breathing & Posture section)
The sequence of outcomes you need to increase chances of success are to:
- Improve mind-muscle connection
- Isolate the diaphragm as a muscle of respiration and posture
- Integrate diaphragm contraction into neutral positions
- Use progressive overload to learn to create even pressure under load
Inside of my Breathwork Breakthrough, you’ll be able to achieve items 1-3.
We cover 7 essential breathing techniques over 7 days in less than 7 minutes.
And on day 4, we cover “delayed breathing” to balance pressure. This skill is the #1 best way to learn to fix lateral pelvic tilt.
Grab your copy below!
Breathwork Breakthrough 7-Day Challenge
