Self Care: 10 Ways to Correct Pelvic Misalignment at Home

Shutterstock

Pelvic misalignment or abnormal pelvic tilt can trigger uncomfortable symptoms such as pain in the lower back, hips, legs, and knees. A sedentary lifestyle, sitting with the legs crossed, and poor posture can cause the pelvis to be misaligned or tilted.

How do you know if your pelvis is positioned correctly?

Dr. Wu Kuo-pin, director of Taiwan Heart Clinic, introduced five self-examination methods and 10 self-correcting tips to help return a tilted pelvis to its original position.

The pelvis includes the sacrum (coccyx), tailbone, and hip joint which is comprised of the ilium, ischium, and pubis bones.

A human pelvis from the front view. The Epoch Times

A human pelvis from the back view. The Epoch Times

The Nervous System and the Pelvis

The nerves of the pelvis include the sacral nerves (5 pairs) and the vertebral tail nerve.

Possible Causes of Pelvic Misalignment

A. Trauma

External impact can lead to pelvic tilt (deviation or dislocation).

B. Poor sitting or standing posture

Crossing the legs while sitting, causes the body to tilt to one side or back. When standing, the tilt of the body may be to one side over the other, and uneven weight on the feet.

C. Weakness in the abdomen and lumbar muscles

Weakness of the abdominal and lumbar muscles leads to insufficient support for the body’s muscles and thus the inability to sit upright, causing the pelvis to tilt.

How to Self-Examine Pelvic Misalignment

This method requires a partner to help.

• Lie on the stomach and check the height of the buttocks.
• Lie down flat on the floor. Ask the partner to examine from the back of the hips whether both sides are aligned evenly leveled.

Piriformis muscle tension test

• Lie on the back. Using both hands around the left knee, press the knee toward the right shoulder.
• Check for tightness or tension of piriformis muscles. Repeat on the opposite side.
• Check if there is any difference between the tension on the legs when pressed. If the degree of tension between the two legs is different, it means that the pelvis is skewed.

Anterior superior Iliac spine (ASIS) test

• Lie flat on a flat surface.
• Compare the positions of ASIS on both sides of the body. Asymmetry suggests a tilted pelvis.

Hip joint test

• Stand up straight. Hands on the hip crest. Check both sides to see if they align at the same height.

Curvature examination

• Stand up in a natural position. check the buttocks to see if they are too upturned.
• Examine the lumbar spine curvature to see if it is too straight.

How to Correct Various Pelvic Misalignments

1. Anterior pelvic tilt

Pelvic forward or anterior pelvic tilt occurs when the pelvis is rotated forward and pushes the spine to curve. It causes backward pelvic dysfunction and related pain. The following exercises can help correct misalignments.

Knee hugging exercise to correct forward pelvic tilt

• Lie down flat on the back.
• Hold the knees with both hands.
• Curl the body slowly inward.
• Keep the nose close to the knees as much as possible.
• Hold the position for three to five seconds.
• Release and return to starting position to complete a round.
• Repeat 10 to 20 times.

2. Backward pelvic tilt (lumbar curvature is too straight)

Pelvic backward tilt occurs when the pelvis rotates backward. When the anterior bends, it will cause obstructive lower back pain. Follow this exercise to help the pelvis return to its correct position.

Note: for this exercise, modify as needed. Do not push or force the body too hard, or you might strain the condition.

• Lie on the stomach. Place both palms on the chest.
• Use the elbows to support and lift the upper body. Then straighten the arms.
• Breathe here for 10 seconds.
• To relax from the position, relax the stomach.
• Lower the arms and lie back down.
• Repeat 10 to 20 times.

3. Iliac offset correction

Posterior iliac rotation (PI)

A partner is needed to help with this exercise.

• Lie on the back and place the affected side on the edge of the bed with the foot between the knees of the partner.
• The partner gently places one hand on the thigh of the affected side near the knee and the other hand on the opposite side’s anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS).
• The partner presses the foot of the affected side toward the floor while the patient pushes back for five seconds.
• Release from the position.
• Repeat the process three to five times. Make sure the knee joint sits a little lower each time.

Iliac offset correction (PI). (The Epoch Times)

Anterior iliac rotation correction (AS)

• Lie on the back, with the knee joint of the affected side bent toward the body.
• The partner should place one hand on the affected knee joint.
• Press the knee joint toward the shoulder on the same side of the raised knee.
• Use the other hand, place the middle finger, and ring finger on the patient’s posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS).
• Place the palm on the post-ischial tubercles.
• Lift and stretch the buttock and knee toward the affected side.
• Apply gentle pressure.
• Hold the position for five seconds before release.
• Repeat three to five times.
• The knee joint should be slightly closer to the body per stretch.

Anterior iliac rotation correction (AS). (The Epoch Times)

Internal iliac rotation correction (dorsal)

A partner is needed to help with this exercise.

• • Lie sideways with the affected side facing upward. Bend the knee and buttock on the affected side, toward the inner thigh, and perpendicular to the body. The partner should place one hand on the knee joint facing up toward the surface while placing the other on the inner thigh of the patient’s posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS).
  • With two hands, gently press and stretch them in the opposite direction. Hold the position for five seconds before release. Relax and repeat three to five times.
  • Each time the knee joint should hold closer to the healthy side.

• Internal iliac rotation (IN) correction. (The Epoch Times)

4. External iliac rotation correction (dorsal)

• • • • Lie on the back with the affected leg bent and abducted, with the ankle placed on the knee joint of the healthy side in an inverted four shape. On the affected side, the partner holds down the knee joint with one hand and places the other hand on the healthy side for ASIS fixation.
    • • The partner presses the inner side of the knee joint on the affected side, exerts a slight force downward, and at the same time, the patient reversely antagonizes the partner for five seconds and then relaxes.
      • Repeat the antagonism three to five times, and press the knee joint further down each time.

External iliac rotation (EX) correction. (The Epoch Times)

Correction Exercises for Sacral Vertebrae

1. Excessive flexion of sacral vertebrae

Side to Side twist.

• Lie on the back with the legs straight and leveled.
• Swing both legs from side to side twice. Relax from the position.
• Raise both legs at 15 degrees, then swing left to right twice. Relax from the position.
• Raise both legs at 30 degrees, then swing from left to right twice. Relax from the position.
• Raise both legs at 15 degrees and rotate from left to right twice. Relax from the position.
• At a leveled position, swing the legs from left to right twice. Relax from the position.

The twisting motion at various degrees allows adjustment and resets curved sacral veterans.

2. Rotational deviation of the sacral vertebra

Caterpillar wiggle

• Lie on the back, with both legs straight and aligned, and put the arms on either side.
• Raise both arms up and straight while relaxing the body.
• Stretch the top of both feet downward.
• Move the hips up and down as if sliding like a caterpillar on the ground.
• Allow the body to move naturally.
• Repeat 10 to 20 sets.
• After that, repeat the movement 10 to 20 times again, but with the top of the feet and toes pointed up and pulled toward the body.

Yoyo

• Lie on the back and level both sides.
• Bend both legs, so the legs are perpendicular to the torso.
• Move both left and right iliac bones up and down.
• Repeat the motion 10-20 times.

Knee rotation

• Lie down flat.
• Bend both legs and make sure they are perpendicular to the body.
• Turn the knees inward.
• Repeat 10 to 20 times.

3. Caudal curvature correction

A partner is needed to help with this exercise.

• Lie down flat.
• Have the partner interlock palms and fingers together.
• Then place the hands on the patient’s vertebrate stably and evenly with moderate pressure.
• The motion is similar to giving someone a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) repeatedly and rhythmically.

4. Piriformis relaxation

• Lie on the back with the left foot straight.
• Hold the right knee with both hands.
• Press the right knee toward the left shoulder for one minute.
• Relax and switch sides.
• After finishing both left and right sides, use both hands to hold both knees.
• Wiggle and shake toward the body 20 times to relax the waist and hip muscles.

5.  Circling

• Lie on the back.
• Bend both legs and rotate left and right 20 times to relax the lumbar muscles.