Put That Pelvis Back in Line

One common thing that we see here at Healing Arts Physical Therapy with people coming in for lower back pain and hip pain is that the pelvis is out of alignment or not symmetrical with the other side. For example, one side of the pelvis can be rotated forward or one side could be elevated. Now this condition can occur from leaning to one side to often, miss stepping off a curb, motor vehicle accidents, falls and lifting incorrectly. Sometime people come in with the the problem and they don't know how it occurred, then it is up to us to figure out the why by looking at their posture, how they stand (are they leaning to one side), how they move and look for muscle imbalances around the pelvis, lower back and hips. Once identified that a person has an asymmetrical, out of aligned pelvis then we can do hands on intervention to reset the pelvis, so to speak, and put it back in the proper position. We then want to address the muscle imbalance that may have lead to the problem; for instances checking for tight hip flexors and weak glutes (butt muscles). We give people the tools to stretch their tight muscles, strengthen their weak muscles and have a better understanding of their posture and alignment. If the pelvis is not positioned correctly, then most often times people will feel very weak in their backs and their legs. By positioning the pelvis back to the proper position, then strength seems to return more naturally. I have had patients complain of weakness in one leg, and once I did some manual techniques to reset the pelvis, they instantly felt stronger, more stable on their feet and more willing to be active again.