What is anterior pelvic tilt? For anyone suffering from this body misalignment, it can be painful and detrimental to your health. Use this helpful guide to understand more about anterior pelvic tilt as a condition, how to diagnose it, available treatment options, and much more.
The chiropractic team at REACH Rehab + Chiropractic understands anterior pelvic tilt and will provide effective solutions if you’re diagnosed with this condition. If you suffer from a misaligned pelvis, let our chiropractic team help you manage and correct it.
Understanding Anterior Pelvic Tilt
What is anterior pelvic tilt, and what causes it? This term simply means that your pelvis shifts forward instead of holding a neutral position. A similar condition, known as posterior pelvic tilt, has the pelvis tilt towards your backside, causing your shoulders to slouch forward. The main cause of anterior pelvic tilt is sitting for long periods without exercise or stretching.
When you have anterior pelvic tilt, muscles throughout your abdomen and thighs tighten while your glute and back muscles weaken. It’s essential to treat this imbalance before it leads to long-term health problems.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Since the pelvis will tilt forward, the typical symptoms include:
- A pronounced lower back arch
- A protruding stomach
- Noticeable glutes
Rather than solely relying on these physical signs, healthcare providers utilize something known as the Thomas test. They’ll ask you to lie on a sturdy table with both legs dangling off the edge and pull one knee towards you. A gap between your resting leg and the table indicates pelvic misalignment.
Getting an accurate diagnosis is incredibly important; without one, your doctor won’t be able to formulate the right treatment plan to address symptoms.
Harmful Effects of Anterior Pelvic Tilt
If you suffer from anterior pelvic tilt and don’t take steps to correct your alignment, it can have lasting effects on your body. First and foremost, this creates poor posture, which can exasperate pain throughout your body. The incorrect position of your pelvis can lead to intense back pain, as well as lordosis, or an abnormal curvature of the lower back.
You are at a greater risk for injury while exercising. Other dangerous effects of anterior pelvic tilt are groin pain and issues with the discs throughout your spine.
Understanding these complications is important to preserve your health. REACH Rehab + Chiropractic can help you manage these risks.
Treatment Options for Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Treating anterior pelvic tilt can be easy and doesn’t require surgery as long as you consistently work on realigning your body. Chiropractors and physical therapists can recommend several anterior pelvic tilt exercises to work on daily to strengthen your muscles.
Our team can guide you through your treatment journey with comforting solutions that will correct anterior pelvic tilt. We’ll demonstrate various movements that will strengthen your hamstrings, back, glute muscles, hips, and more. Regularly stretching with anterior pelvic tilt reduces muscle tightness so your pelvis reverts to its natural position.
Exercises to Fix Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Aside from “What is anterior pelvic tilt?“, the most common question most people have on this topic is “How do you fix anterior pelvic tilt?”. Thankfully, there are a few gentle exercises you can try to realign your pelvis. You can do these exercises from the comfort of your home with no equipment:
- Bridge: Raise your pelvis and thighs while your back and arms remain on the floor; hold for two seconds, then lower your legs and repeat.
- Plank: Hold your body in a starting push-up position for as long as you can, keeping your core engaged.
- Squats: Keep your legs shoulder-width apart, keep your core tight, and lower yourself like you’re taking a seat.
Taking Control of Your Anterior Pelvic Tilt with REACH Rehab + Chiropractic
Now that you have an answer to “What is anterior pelvic tilt?” and understand ways to treat it, take action to improve your health. Whether you need a formal diagnosis or treatment solutions, REACH Rehab + Chiropractic has the solution. Our trained chiropractors have plenty of resources to help you realign your pelvis so you can lead a healthier, more independent life.
When you trust REACH Rehab + Chiropractic, you’re on the right path to finding treatment options for anterior pelvic tilt. Contact our helpful team at (734) 335-0212 to learn more about anterior pelvic tilt or schedule an appointment.
