by Lani Muelrath, M.A.

Previously,  I addressed a client question regarding the "tuck", or posterior pelvic tilt position, outside of exercise sessions.  Click HERE to read Part 1:  "Is It Possible To Tuck Too Much?".

More on pelvic tilts and tucks

The backward, or posterior, pelvic tilt referred to by my client in Part 1 is an exercise position common to several rehabilitative-type workouts.  This position is meant to counter an exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt, where the top of the pelvis tilts forward.

Anterior pelvic tilt, or specifically the top of the pelvis tipping forward, is actually a quite normal postural position. The problem is an excessive anterior pelvic tilt.  Rehabilitative exercise works to counter the excessive tilt with consciously tilting the pelvis in the opposite direction.

Excessive anterior pelvic tilt can contribute mightily to postural dysfunction. It can set a chain of discomfort events into motion: with the deepening anterior tilt, the thigh bones rotate inward, placing increased stress on the inner knee.

This inward rotation of the thigh bone, results in increased weight bearing on the inside of the foot, which puts extra stress and strain on the muscles that roll the inside of the foot down and turn the outside of the foot out. Think fallen arches, and you've got the idea.  By the way, this problem can also start with the foot and work its way up to a pelvic tilt.

But the problems with excessive anterior tilt don't stop there.

They have a way of working their way all the way up the rest of our posture. When the pelvis tips too far forward, the arch in the lower back increases. As goes the low back, so goes the neck.  So the next place for this postural dysfunction to show up is at the neck, resulting in what is called "forward head".

The prescriptive posterior pelvic tilt

This explains the driving factor behind practicing a posterior pelvic tilt during exercise.  Actually, it takes a combination of strategies to correct the problems of the excessive anterior pelvic tilt, to be addressed in another article.

The point here is that though excessive anterior pelvic tilt is a problem that needs to be dealt with specifically to create good posture, overdoing a posterior tuck and countering the natural curves in the back can create problems of its own.

 

Click HERE to read Part 3:  Low Back Pain?  Pelvic Tilt Talk:  Part 3 of 5

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. 2010 All Rights Reserved

 

Targeted body shapers...under 5 minutes

 

March 18, 2010

Vol. 3, Issue 3

 

 

FitQuickies^(TM)
Targeted Body Shapers
in minutes

 

 

 

Lani Muelrath, M.A., specializes in helping women succeed in their w*eight and body shaping dreams by transforming their relationship with their body, eating, and exercise. Rewriting behaviors and patterns into those that are consistent with the fitness, health, mental outlook and positive energy we desire is her forte!

With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and trainer, Lani is a Guest Lecturer in Kinesiology at San Francisco State University, and is recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction. She created and starred in her own CBS TV show, and is the Healthy Living Examiner at examiner. com.She is also the Fitness Expert at the McDougall Health and Medical Center.

 

If you want to move forward your  fitness - and life - Lani's compassionate and knowledgeable approach and tools for mastery make it possible.

Lani overcame her own lifetime struggle with w*eight over 10 years ago when she lost 50 lbs, which she has maintained easily with the tools that she now teaches in her signature program, Woman's Fitness BluePrint: An Action Plan for Success.