In last week’s blog post the Gluteus Medius was the star! There were videos of some generalized workouts that would strengthen the hips and increase pelvic stability. Now, as promised the next few blog posts are going to address how a person might use those exercises prescriptively to create change in pelvic imbalances.
As I was thinking about these posts, I started thinking about all of the pelvises I’ve seen over the years and a question came to mind: If strength in the Gluteus Medius is so very important, then why is it so very weak in so many people? There are many muscular imbalances that might position the pelvis in such a way that makes the Gluteus Medius inaccessible. So far I have thought of four general possibilities…I say general because, well I’ve seen enough bodies to know that the possibilities are infinite and trying to fit people into the generalized boxes discounts the complexity of the human pelvis…Thus as I describe these generalizations realize that this is the starting point…As one begins to learn about his/her pelvis the journey is infinite and forever, as well as fun and rewarding!
Possibility I
The Posterior Tilted Pelvis: In the posterior tilted pelvis the tail is tucked underneath the spine. This causes the top of the pelvis to tilt back and the bottom of the pelvis to tilt forward. The result of this postural pattern means that the all of the gluteus muscles along with the hamstrings are working all of the time to hold the pelvis in this position. It also pushes the femur bones forward in the hip socket. These muscles are holding tension and muscular tension makes muscles unavailable for use in action. I took a workshop from Tom McCook this past weekend and he said quite profoundly, “Tension isn’t strength, it is unused potential.” If we think of all Gluteus muscles with this idea we can determine that the Gluteus Medius in a posterior tilted pelvis can’t abduct, extend or rotate the leg because the femur heads are pushing forward and all of the muscles are holding the tailbone hostage.
If I were working with a pilates client with a posteriorly tilted pelvis, and Glute med. strength was a goal the first step would be to free the tailbone by releasing the gluteus muscles and hamstrings along with awakening the Pelvic Floor. Of course, the general rules put forth on the internet do not compare to the insight one gains when problem solving with a client, but having the following movement map in mind is a place to start. Whether the client and I get to the end of the trail depends on what we discover within the map.
1. Hamstring release series - I wrote about this series in a previous post. Anecdotally, I have found that this series can relieve pain caused by this pattern so that movement in the pelvis is possible. It also can aid in “unlocking” the pelvis so that the femur bones can sink into the socket and a client can access the core.
Exercises 2-5 are demonstrated by Laurie Johnson in this video
2. Pelvic Rock – Once the hamstrings have been addressed then I would use the Pelvic Rock to reinforce movement in the pelvis. Asking the Tailbone to come out of the cage as it were. In the video Laurie is suspending her pelvis on soft balls. This allows extra freedom in the movement of the pelvis.
3. Pelvic Rock and abdominal engagement on Soft Ball – Often when the pelvis is stuck in a posterior pelvic tilt, the pelvis is being “stabilized” or held without movement by all of the muscles that are reserved for propelling the pelvis in space. Thus once these muscles are released then it is important to find the deeper core muscles to stabilize the pelvis. This frees the other muscles of the pelvis to propel the body through space. In the video Laurie demonstrates the thigh lift (Thank you Irmgard Bartenieff)
4. Side-Lying Pelvic Clock – When finding pelvic alignment it is important to find the alignment in multiple planes of movement. The Pelvic Rock works on the pelvic placement in the sagittal plane. The side-lying Pelvic Rock works in the vertical/coronal plane and the horizontal/transverse plane
5. Side-Lying Bend and Stretch – Now that the pelvis is placed differently it is important to find support throughout the entire fascial line.
6. Hip Series – If the pelvis is tilted posteriorly the previous prep work will allow the pelvis to be placed efficiently so that movement can happen. Now try the videos from the previous post. Do they feel different? How so? Feel free to send us an email to let us know.
The image above shows the difference between a neutral pelvis, a posteriorly tilted pelvis and an anteriorly tilted pelvis. I like this picture because it shows us where we've been as well as where we will be going. Consider it a preview for next week, when we unveil exercises that would prepare an anterior tilted pelvis for a hip power series.
Katrina Hawley C.M.A, R.S.M.E
Co-Director of The Pilates Studio
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