How to fix a rotated pelvis.

Have you noticed that your pelvis is ALWAYS rotated? Maybe your belly button is off center or your pelvis just feels off.

Do you also get hip and back pain? If so, you might suspect that there is a connection between the position of your pelvis and the pain.

And your suspicion might be correct. But if a rotated pelvis can lead to hip and low back pain, what can we do about it?

We can introduce exercises that bring proper balance back to the pelvis. In this article, I will share two of my favorite exercises that will help you do just that.

What causes pelvis rotation? 

Let us first talk about lifestyle habits that can place our pelvis in a rotated position. The most obvious daily habit we want to think about is sitting.

We all sit a lot. And although sitting so much isn’t great, most of us don’t really have a choice. As I’ve written in other articles, it’s not so much the sitting that’s the problem, but HOW we sit.

If we sit with one hip hiked up or we always dip our body weight to one side, our bodies will start adopting a dysfunctional pelvic position. 

Because the pelvis can rotate in each plane of motion, your sitting posture will dictate how your pelvis will rotate.

For example, a seated posture that has an arched low back will adopt more of a pelvis rotated forward position. 

A seated posture where one sinks into one hip will force the pelvis into a more diagonally rotated position. 

Why should we care if this happens to our pelvis? What are some rotated pelvis symptoms that we should be concerned about?

Whenever our body deviates into a position that’s not functional and off-balance, we risk experiencing pain and discomfort.

Our bodies get better at doing things it does often. So if we sit a lot with a rotated pelvis, it gets better at sitting a lot with a rotated pelvis.

But this also means that our bodies get worse at doing other activities. And usually, these are activities people enjoy like running, sports or playing with their kids.

The solution? Integrate daily exercises that help bring the body back into balance and function. These exercises are especially helpful after a long bout of sitting or being in a position that disorients the pelvis.

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The Rotated Pelvis Fix

Below are two of my favorite exercises to bring the pelvis back into a more balanced position.

The first exercise is the standing wall twist and it literally pulls your pelvis into a neutral position. The key is to pay attention to how each side feels. If one side feels considerably more challenging than the other, this tells you a lot about how your body is (dis)functioning. 

The second exercise is the all 4s and it's a great way to bring balance back to both sides of the body.  Using the ground as a counter force, the body naturally enters into a more neutral and functional position. 

Programming and Final Thoughts

I recommend performing the standing wall twist for 2 minutes per side and hold the all 4s position for 2 minutes total.

These can be performed everyday and ideally they’d be added to a longer routine that focuses on bringing balance back to the whole body.

Getting the pelvis out of a rotated position is a solid goal. But it’s important to stay humble in your exploration.

It’s easy to point the blame on one thing like a rotated pelvis for all of our physical problems. But rarely does the human body work like that.

Restoring function in the pelvis is a big part of the story but it's far from the whole story. 

The path to a functional pain-free body is to develop a daily movement practice that builds resilience in the WHOLE body.  

So just a word of caution to not get TOO fixated on your pelvis position in your movement journey.