Posterior Pelvic Tilt Correction - Excessive Lumbar Flexion and Unhelpful Cues
Performing a posterior pelvic tilt is a common part of many exercises. Flattening the back into the floor/table and tucking the tailbone are common cues that are given.
Typically, we are trying to reorient the pelvis posteriorly, achieve sacral counter-nutation or a combination of the two.
While these cues may be useful under certain circumstances, when individuals who are already biased towards sacral counter-nutation and lumbar flexion are repetitively cued with these instructions, excessively increased movement at the lower back and decreased movement at the hip can be the result.
When hips start to be restricted and the back moves too easily into flexion, this type of cue can lead to continued deficits in range of motion, ease of motion, performance in the gym, and in the worst case scenario, focal loading on the back that may result in pain.
Under these conditions, a few of the muscle groups that may be being utilized via compressive strategies are the posterior lower gluteal and hip external rotator musculature and the rectus abdominals.
In order to break this pattern, we need to utilize activities that allow us to achieve sacral nutation, hip internal rotation, hip flexion, and even a little bit of relative "back extension."
Learning to make the back remain stable as the majority of the movement happens at the hips can allow us to regain strength in the back, mobility in the hips and improve movement options and posture that promote long term health and enhanced physical performance.
For more information on how to use activities like this to improve movement, visit: https://chaplinperformance.com
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