How to Fix Lateral Pelvic Rotation (Rotated Pelvis) With Clinical Somatics Exercises<\/h1>\n
In this article I explain what lateral pelvic rotation is, why we develop it, and the muscular patterns involved. At the end of the article, I list which Clinical Somatics exercises are most effective for fixing the misalignment.<\/p>\n
Scroll down to watch Sarah’s video on this topic<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Lateral pelvic rotation<\/strong>, also called rotated pelvis, occurs when the pelvis turns to the right or the left, as if you’re doing the Twist. You can also imagine your pelvis rotating like a Lazy Susan.<\/p>\n When the pelvis rotates laterally to the right, the left hip shifts forward and the right hip shifts backward. When the pelvis rotates laterally to the left, the right hip shifts forward and the left hip shifts backward. If chronic muscle tension is keeping you stuck in either of these positions, the misalignment will affect your entire body.<\/p>\n Lateral pelvic rotation can be confused with lateral pelvic tilt<\/strong>, in which one hip is held higher than the other<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n It’s also easy to confuse lateral pelvic rotation with pelvic torsion<\/a> <\/strong>(see image below). Pelvic torsion, also called twisted pelvis, occurs when one coxal bone is rotated forward (anterior pelvic rotation or tilt) while the other coxal bone is rotated backward (posterior pelvic rotation or tilt).<\/p>\n To confuse matters more, it’s common for lateral pelvic rotation to occur along with lateral pelvic tilt or pelvic torsion, or for all three to occur together!<\/p>\n The major muscle groups driving the pattern of lateral pelvic rotation are the obliques, the extensors of the lower back and hip, and the hip rotators<\/strong>. If my descriptions of the muscular patterns below get your brain tangled up, just scroll down to the last part of the article, where I tell you which exercises to practice depending on which direction your pelvis is rotated!<\/p>\n The internal and external obliques rotate the spine to either side. The external obliques<\/strong> rotate the spine to the opposite side; so, when your external obliques on your right side contract, you twist to the left.<\/p>\n The internal obliques<\/strong> do the opposite. They rotate the spine to the same side; so, when your internal obliques on your right side contract, you twist to the right.<\/p>\n The right external obliques and the left internal obliques work together to rotate your spine to the left. The left external obliques and the right internal obliques work together to rotate your spine to the right.<\/p>\n If you were to stand up and explore twisting to either side to feel these muscles contract, you’d likely keep your pelvis in place and turn your rib cage and shoulders to the right and left. But in the pattern of lateral pelvic rotation, the pelvis turns to one side or the other while the rib cage and shoulders can remain facing straight ahead.<\/p>\n So as the pelvis turns to the right (right hip behind, left hip forward), it is a similar action to turning the rib cage and shoulders to the left, because the upper spine is rotating toward the left relative to the pelvis. The right external obliques and the left internal obliques contract in this position. I am going to refer to this as right pelvic rotation<\/strong> for the remainder of the article.<\/p>\n And as the pelvis turns to the left (left hip behind, right hip forward), it is a similar action to turning the rib cage and shoulders to the right, because the upper spine is rotating toward the right relative to the pelvis. The left external obliques and the right internal obliques contract to make this happen. I am going to refer to this as left pelvic rotation<\/strong> for the remainder of the article.<\/p>\n Now let’s discuss the extensors of the lower back and hip<\/strong>. When the extensors of the lower back contract, they arch the lower back. When the extensors of the hip contract, they bring the hip and leg backward. In lateral pelvic rotation, both of these actions are happening on the side of the body in which the hip is shifted behind.<\/p>\n Extensors of the lumbar spine include the quadratus lumborum, erector spinae group, transverospinalis group, intertransversarii, interspinalis, and latissimus dorsi. Extensors of the hip that tend to be contracted in lateral pelvic rotation are the gluteus maximus and medius.<\/p>\n Rotation of both hip joints is always present in lateral pelvic rotation. In right pelvic rotation, the external rotators<\/strong> of the right hip are contracted (this includes the gluteus maximus and iliopsoas<\/a><\/strong>) while the internal rotators<\/strong> of the left hip are contracted (this includes muscles of the inner thigh, inner hamstrings, gluteus medius and minimus, and tensor fascia latae). In left pelvic rotation, the external rotators of the left hip are contracted while the internal rotators of the right hip are contracted.<\/p>\n What if the driving force in the rotation of the pelvis isn’t coming from the core (internal and external obliques), or one hip pulling backward, or the hip joints rotating? It’s also possible that lateral pelvic rotation can be driven by the hip that is shifted forward. In this case, it’s likely that there’s a downward pulling action occurring on that side, pulling the rib cage closer to the hip and shifting it forward. The muscles involved in this action are the obliques, iliopsoas, and rectus abdominis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Why do our core and hip muscles become tight enough to cause lateral pelvic rotation? And why does it happen to some people and not others?<\/p>\n The movement and level of contraction of our muscles is controlled by our nervous system. The way that our muscles move, and how much we keep them contracted, is actually learned over time by our nervous system.<\/p>\n Our nervous system learns certain ways of using our muscles based on how we choose to sit, stand, and move each and every day. Our nervous system notices the postures and movements that we tend to repeat, and it gradually makes these postures and movements automatic so that we don\u2019t have to consciously think about them.<\/p>\n This learning process\u2014that of developing what we refer to as muscle memory<\/a><\/strong>\u2014allows us to go through the activities in our daily lives easily and efficiently. Unfortunately, if we tend to repeat unnatural postures or movements, our nervous system will learn those too. Our automatic neuromuscular learning process doesn\u2019t discern what is good or bad for us\u2014it just notices what we tend to repeat, and makes it automatic.<\/p>\n So if you carry your bag on the same side every day, hold your child on the same hip, kick a ball with the same leg, or sit at your desk in the same way\u2014your nervous system can easily habituate the pattern of holding your pelvis rotated to one side or the other.<\/p>\n As your nervous system gradually learns to keep your muscles tight, gamma loop<\/a><\/strong> activity adapts. This feedback loop in your nervous system regulates the level of tension in your muscles. As your brain keeps sending the message to contract your muscles, gamma loop activity adapts and starts keeping your muscles tight all the time.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, your proprioception<\/a><\/strong> (your internal sense of your body position) adapts so that you\u2019re not aware of the increased level of tension in your muscles. Your proprioception also adapts to your body position; so as your nervous system gradually starts holding your pelvis in a rotated position, it will feel to you as though it is aligned correctly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> First, if you’re not familiar with pandiculation and why it’s the most effective way to release chronic muscle tension, I recommend that you read What is Pandiculation?<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Second, it’s very important that you read the article How to Even out the Imbalances in Your Body<\/a><\/strong>. This article gives essential advice that you should follow when tailoring your daily Clinical Somatics practice to address the imbalances in your muscular patterns\u2014which are significant in lateral pelvic rotation.<\/p>\n Below I’ve listed the exercises from the Level One & Two Courses<\/a><\/strong> that are most helpful for releasing the pattern of muscle contraction present in lateral pelvic rotation. This is too many exercises to practice every day, so pick and choose depending on which exercises you feel the most benefit from. If you’re just starting your Clinical Somatics practice, be sure to read Developing Your Own Daily Practice<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n LEVEL ONE COURSE:<\/strong><\/p>\n Arch & Flatten<\/strong>What is lateral pelvic rotation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Pelvic](\"https:\/\/somaticmovementcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Pelvic-torsion-rotation-tilt-1024x595.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>Lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis) may occur along with or be a causative factor in the following conditions:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The patterns of muscle tension that cause lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Internal](\"https:\/\/somaticmovementcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Obliques-1024x499.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Why do we develop lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The most effective Clinical Somatics exercises for fixing lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
First, here are the exercises that you can practice the same way whether you have right or left pelvic rotation:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nIliopsoas Release:<\/strong> Your iliopsoas is likely tight on both sides, but if you find a significant imbalance, you can spend more time and focus working with the tighter side.
\nWashcloth<\/strong><\/p>\n