Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Anterior Pelvic Tilt – Right Side (mid correction)

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    • 05/09/2013 at 10:31 am #70187
      AvatarTyler Lindon
      Participant

      After making quite a bit of progress this week getting my tilted hip to rotate up, however not stay in place, I have an observation I’d like to share and receive thoughts on.

      Once loosened up, I can only get 1 hip into a good position, in doing this the cables running down my spine on the same side spring into action and support my back, freeing up my other back muscles on that side which have been on tension.  The shoulder on this same side relaxes and falls into a good position.  At this point, my chest and arm loosens up and blood flow increases nicely down my arm.  Increased breathing capacity, neck relaxes, and all those wonderful side effects of falling into place.  Keep in mind, this only happens on 1 side at a time.

      The anomaly I’m seeing is that my body will rotate sides as if waves are rolling through my body.  Muscles relaxing as other tighten in an ebb and flow from right to left.  It is a very odd sensation but I know it is a move in the right direction because some of these muscles have been under tension for over a decade and are now getting some relief. 

      Currently, I am placing a lot of focus on mobilizing my overly tight hamstrings, quads, hip, glute, adductors, and upper/lower back, with a slight emphasis on calf, shoulder, chest.  Because of the tilt, I am severely deficient in right glute strength however besides walking, standing, ect, there is very little exercise in which my hip doesn’t rotate back down, that will allow me to build strength faster in that area.

      That being said, my question is: Is there a place of tension in which I should focus on primarily that will feed enough slack into the system allowing my spine, hips, and shoulders to align?

    • 05/09/2013 at 4:07 pm #71948
      AvatarAmine Bennani
      Participant

      I have a similar problem. My LEFT SIDE has a more pronounced anterior tilt.  From my posterior, when you view my body laterally, my left glute is elevated.  My observation is that my left leg is slightly longer than my right. I’m right handed, but I stand on my left side frequently and it is my stronger leg.  I’m guessing that some of my low back, hip flexor pain is due to over use of my left side when doing excessive intensive exercise.  My pain is completely on my left side (when aggravated). I did a bunch of light weight 135lbs back squats and  and noticed that my left spinal erectors tightened up quite a bit.  That was yesterday, but it is good today.  I look like I limp a lot.

      To help you with your question, I’ve found that rolling the adductors along with doing the hamstring floss has helped me manage this problem….allowing for some temporary relief in pain, though I’m not sure that that’s the solution to my problems long term.

    • 05/19/2013 at 12:33 pm #71984
      AvatarTyler Lindon
      Participant

      Episode 4 of MWodPro address this perfectly.  After watching this and applying the techniques, I’m fairly certain my other hip is rotated the other way, all be it slightly…. which makes some kind of crazy sense, eh?

      I suspect this is common for many people as I developed it over years of video gaming, driving, and having a desk job.  TONS of sitting mixed with leaning toward my dominant side to reach for a mouse or a in case of everyone, to reach for the accelerator/brake in a vehicle.  
      It is hard sometimes to keep the motivation as the tissue change isn’t as fast as I’d hoped but in all fairness, I’m undoing 30+ years of bad form and technique.  I’m literally learning to walk again only this time, the right way.
      I suggest purchasing the Pro section because if you’ve made it this far into site/forum, you should consider yourself serious about resolving your issues or helping others do so.  
      MWod Pro *shing*
    • 05/21/2013 at 1:44 am #71990
      AvatarMartin Repcek
      Participant

      You just gotta keep working at it. I’ve been working on my dysfunctions for over a year now, even spent a few months seeing a DPT. One of the things wrong with me is that one side of my pelvis is tilted the opposite direction of the other side. Looking in a mirror I appear lopsided. The exercise that KStar demonstrates (must be Episode 4 as SuppleDragons stated above) is one my physical therapist had me do. Personally, I had better results by bracing against a door frame – use your glutes to drive one foot into the floor and drive the other knee up into the door frame. Having said that, there is a reason KStar demonstrated it the way he did. 

      My guess is if you this problem you probably have other things you need to work on too. I feel like I’m playing whack-a-mole because all my dysfunctions seem to re-enforce each other. In my case I have EXTREME ankle stiffness and had some pretty brutal hip stiffness. The absolute best thing I found to do was spend some time on the elliptical. You’ll need a good gym quality elliptical with a long stride – like LifeFitness. The goal is to keep both feet firmly planted at all times, feet in neutral position, knees tracking over middle to outer toes. I do this either barefoot or in my Vibrams. Just 5 months ago I couldn’t do this to save my life. My femur felt like it was going to push through my pelvis and the pain was excruciating. After about 3 or 4 workouts (~3 hours total on the elliptical) I managed to gain enough range of motion in my hip to keep both heels planted. After a few more workouts I was finally able to keep my foot pointed straight. I’m still working on the ankle range of motion. The glute medius on that leg is extremely weak too. My theory is that hundreds and thousands of repetitions in a crappy position caused the problem and it is going to take hundreds and thousands of repetitions in a good position to fix it. 
      I’m not at all an expert, but my suspicion is that if you have an abnormal pelvic tilt it is because you are compensating for missing range of motion farther down the chain. That would fit my experience. Just like SuppleDragons said, I’m literally learning to walk all over again. 
    • 05/22/2013 at 10:55 am #71993
      AvatarTyler Lindon
      Participant

      Jesse,  it’s clear you have been working on this for some time.   I agree completely that I am missing range of motion down the chain, as well as up the chain(psoas and lumbar).  One thing is certain at this point… Just when I think I have figured it out, I learn something new.  In the larger picture, what is happening is that as I correct one piece I am able to listen to my body and find the next ball of angry tissue which must be targeted next.  Keeping the positive changes in my tissues as I move forward through my dysfunction are what turns this from a game of whack a mole into something more a kin to Tetris. 


      It is mind boggling to think that only 4 months ago, suffering from dual IT band syndrome and unable to run 400m without pain, to last month when I sloppily finished one of the toughest half marathons in the US, to today where I am well on track to getting stable hips in a fully extended, standing position.  We’ve often heard that the journey is what is important rather than the destination.  I often remind myself of these words of wisdom as I set and meet daily goals which bring me closer to a kung fu master, err… supple leopard.  


      Kelley has several sayings that I’m glad he repeats because they have proven to be key in fixing my dysfunction thus far:
      Feed slack into the system.
      If it’s in a bad position get it in a good position – once it’s in a good position, get it moving.
      Work upstream and downstream of the target area.
      …and something about using the position you are trying to improve(in my case standing upright), to locate the stiff tissues, then isolate them and make some change.

      I’ve had to humble myself substantially after learning that I can not get into a good standing position, p.e.r.i.o.d. My musculature is too short in key areas to allow for my hips to align and lock, my back and chest are so tight that my shoulders can’t do the same and my trunk is insanely tight which adds to all of the above as well as the inability to stabilize my spine, even if I could get into a good position.  Because I am symmetrically challenged I’ve learned to get the side I’m working on in a good position so that I can get the tissue change to happen.  Otherwise, it’s like mashing my body while wearing chain link armor.


      It is only a matter of time before that voice in the back of my head wins out and I begin putting some serious time into my calves and ankles.  For now, I am finding it very difficult to get into a good position for a good calf smash.  Other dysfunction higher up the chain doesn’t allow me to get into a good position for very long to make the necessary change.  On that same note, I’ve found that pointing my toes in direction can make a world of difference when you are fighting through some nasty stuff.  Probably has something to do with how it’s all connected.  ðŸ˜‰  Once I have enough slack in the midsection, I hope to feed some down and up the chain.

      I’ll look into the elliptical recommendation.  For now, I have begun taking long walks in order to further find problems and address them.  Good luck to you!!  
    • 06/12/2013 at 8:26 pm #72169
      AvatarTyler Lindon
      Participant

      Update:  A visit to the Chiropractor is exactly what I needed after playing whack a mole for several months.  A stuck SI joint on one side, along with a thoracic and cervical block.  I was/am twisted to some extent.  After 10 days of getting those joints moving, my body is adjusting to the muscle imbalances that have been created over the years of being stuck like this.

      All I can say is, it is amazing what we will get used as time passes.  Very excited to see where my new stability takes me.
    • 08/11/2014 at 2:29 am #75080
      AvatarLindsay Mitchell
      Participant

      When l was 20 l had severe pain in my left hip and running down the back of my thigh and front of lower leg. I was told by an orthopedist my left leg was an inch longer and piriformus syndrome. I had 34 years of hip, leg, and lower and thoracic back pain. At 54 l broke my left neck of femur. It was repaired with plate, pins, and screws. Eleven months later l awoke one morning in horrible low back pain. I could barely move. A small amount of time went by and my right hip was horribly painfull also. Two and

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