Now that you have found that the reason for your lower back pain is anterior pelvic tilt, it is time to decide on what treatment option(s) you will pursue. There are a number of choices available. We will cover each, what they consist of, and their benefits in this article. Our goal is to help you choose the best treatment options for you.
Self-Treatment
Exercising
There are exercises specifically designed to correct anterior pelvic tilt. You will find a separate article detailing exercises that are effective. You can easily create your own exercise program. The major consideration is consistency. Choose a time that is best for your and do your exercises daily.
Walking
Walking is your most basic body movement. Walking strengthens your abdominals, hamstrings, and glutes, and stretches quads and hip flexors. Since one reason for anterior pelvic tilt is a sedentary life style, walking is an obvious way to lessen the impact sitting too long has on your body.
Posture
Correcting your posture is very important as you strive to correct your anterior pelvic tilt. Initially, you will have to make a concentrated effort, but eventually it will become normal to do the following to correct your posture:
1. Chest up
2. Shoulders back
3. Arms by your side, palms facing forward
4. Back straight and tall
5. Feet shoulder width apart
6. Weight distributed on the arches of your feet
Medical Treatments
As we have mentioned previously, anterior pelvic tilt can be caused by constantly remaining in a flexed posture such as working a desk job or sitting in a classroom all day long. The lengthening and tightening of certain muscles usually causes lower back pain.
Your body adapts to the muscle imbalance by lengthening the muscles that are not being used due to the overuse of the muscles that keep you in a flexed posture. This increases the curve in your lower back and applies much more stress on the joints in your back and pelvis giving you lower back pain.
If you are dealing with lower back pain from anterior pelvic tilt, it may help to talk to a specialist in your area. Physical therapists (physiotherapists), chiropractors, and massage therapists are medical specialists who can help treat lower back pain due to an anterior pelvic tilt.
Physical Therapy (physiotherapy)
Physical therapy can strengthen the muscles that are weak because of your anterior pelvic tilt. It is important to start getting the weak muscles activated again to get back to normal movement patterns which will help alleviate your lower back pain.
Physical therapy also stretches and relaxes the tight muscles. The goal is to bring better balance to the opposing muscle groups (such as quads versus hamstrings) so that the tension on your pelvis and lower back is relatively equal on each side. This keeps your pelvis neutral and, with your pelvis stable, your lower back is properly curved and able to support the weight of your upper spine and torso.
Chiropractic Treatment
A chiropractor will address muscle work as well as spinal and extremity manipulation. It is important to start getting the weak muscles activated again to get back to normal movement patterns which will help alleviate some of the low back pain. The chiropractor will take your medical history, give you a physical exam, and preform postural screening to figure out which areas need to be addressed during your treatment. The chiropractor will find areas of decreased motion in the joints of your low back and throughout the spine as well as the extremities. He will adjust them in order to help promote increased mobility, decrease pain, and help delay the process of degeneration.
Massage
Massage therapy may be of benefit in treating anterior pelvic tilt by improving circulation throughout your body. Massage can also reduce ishemia (lack of blood flow), improving the endurance of your muscles. When these muscles can do their job of stabilizing your lower back, you will have less back pain.
Massage can also reduce or eliminate adhesions and scar tissue that can cause decreased blood flow and decrease strength. Additionally, massage therapy can aid in muscle balance, helping you relax your “tight” muscles, such as the psoas (hip flexor) and quadriceps (front of thigh) and reducing anterior pelvic tilt.
We would love to hear about your experience finding effective treatment for your anterior pelvic tilt. And, as always, we welcome your questions as we work together to find methods to eliminate lower back pain caused by anterior pelvic tilt.
photo credit: Noodles and Beef
