Research Corner - Q&A Posterior Pelvic Tilt by Michol Dalcourt | Date Released : 26 Sep 2007 1 comment Print Close Question: My client has a posterior pelvic tilt. I know the importance of flexibility, so we do a lot of stretching for her abdominal area and chest. Also, we work on strengthening her lower and middle back. Her shoulders are very rounded and tight, and she tends to "crunch" her whole body when she jumps (jump to stabilization). I would like your opinion please. Answer: Pelvic and shoulder tightness is something most trainers will experience with clients at some point. The challenge is to restore proper biomechanical function in the pelvis and shoulders by addressing the body as a whole. Rounding in the upper back is more often than not concurrent with pelvis displacement out of neutral. When this happens, all curves of the body are affected. The following is a list of the body's curves: Cervical Spine - Secondary Curve Thoracic Spine - Primary Curve Lumbar Spine - Secondary Curve Gluteal / Sacral Region - Primary Curve Popleteal Fossa (back of the knee) - Secondary Curve Heel Region - Primary Curve Plantar Arch in foot - Secondary Curve (Note: The primary curves of the body are those that we were born with, and the secondary curves were formed as a result of muscles activity on the fascia.) Therefore, to mitigate an individual's predisposition to round the back and "crunch" while performing activities, we must strengthen the body as a whole (since all curves will be affected with tightness and restriction). The following exercises are designed to strengthen the body as a whole. For the first three exercises, start off with the hands down to the side of the body. For the deadlift, it is recommended that you start with a very light weight such as a dowel rod. 1 Leg PNF Pattern Balance Hold 1 Leg - Overhead Anterior Reach Balance Hold 1 Leg - Overhead Posterior Reach Deadlift - Snatch Grip Backhand/Forehand Swing (Scapula) It is important to train your clients in all three planes, as this is consistent with the lines of muscles throughout the body. Good luck. Back to top About the author: Michol Dalcourt Michol is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco in the Faculty of Sports Science and has served as an instructor at the NAIT College School of Health Sciences. His highly innovative techniques have been adopted by many of the top international fitness certification bodies. Michol has given hundreds of international lectures and has been a featured speaker at most of the world’s top fitness conferences, fitness clubs and at many colleges and universities around the world. He has done extensive work and field research in the areas of human performance, and consults with many of the fitness industry’s biggest companies. As a trainer, Michol worked with a general clientele as well as athletes of all levels, such as college level pitchers, NHL hockey players, NLL Lacrosse players and Olympic gold medal athletes. Michol received his education from the University of Alberta in the area of Exercise Science (Faculty of Physical Education). Other certifications include C.F.C. accreditation from the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists and Certified Personal Trainer Specialist with the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals. Michol lives and surfs with his wife, daughter, and black labrador in Solana Beach, California. 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Michol Dalcourt | Articles Running Backwards Michol Dalcourt | Articles PNF Patterns Michol Dalcourt | Articles Please login to leave a comment Comments (1) Widayanti, Novi | 12 Dec 2009, 02:05 AM In cases of postural misalignment, especially the ones that affect on how the body hold its erection and balance against gravity, it is important to understand the main reason of why the body compensate itself to the present condition, and after that we can decide what technique will we apply to the person.The body has the extraordinary ability to compensate to any condition that seem to enable it to perform the daily tasks. That is the reason why the compensations can be vary for each individual. From the conditions described, there is a posibity that the person might get the posture (posterior pelvic tilt) from the wrong way to put the body weight pressure on the feet (put too much pressure on the heel part instead of the ankle). This posture forces the body to curl the hip to posterior direction resulting these following conditions:Over active muscles: tibialis anterior, hamstring, gluteal, abdominal, serratus anterior, pectoral, and traps. Under active muscles: gasrocnemius, quadiceps, hip flexors, IT band, hip adductor, erector spinae, rhomboids, rotator cuffs.In order to release the tightness in the over active muscles, one cannot just perform stretches to them, as they got tight for a reason. Releasing these tight muscles individualy without strengthening the under active and the functional chain will leads to another or further injuries in the future, as the body will not get good supporters for the activities.The first priority of strengthening the under actives should be the ones that support the biggest body weight against gravity as they act as the major supporters of the body in daily activities, which are the calve, hip flexor, lower back, core, lower back, than upper back.It is important for the person to change the habit by putting the pressure to the correct part of the feet voluntarily Reply Back to top