Pelvic Position and Back Pain

Anterior pelvic tilt is caused by a change in pelvic alignment as the front of the pelvis tilts forward while the posterior part of the pelvis rises. This also increases the curvature of the lower spine and tightens the thoracic spine. Such postural change may result in the lower back pain and indicate a muscle imbalance within the hips due to shortening of the hip flexors (muscles attaching the femur to the lower back and pelvis), and elongation of the hip extensors (hamstring and gluteus maximus muscles). Weak core muscles can also contribute to anterior pelvic tilt.

Causes of Anterior Pelvic Tilt

• Extended periods of sitting
• Lack of stretching / strengthening exercises during workout, or improper exercise technique
• Poor posture
• Genetic predisposition

Quick Test for Hip Flexor Length

Since tight hip flexor muscles are one of the contributing factors to the development of anterior pelvic tilt, the Thomas test is often used to assess length of the muscles involved in hip flexion (Konin et al., 2006).

1. Lie supine on a table with your knees bent so that your legs are hanging off and feet are not touching the ground.
2. Bring your knee towards the chest while assisting with your hands. Hold to stabilize the pelvis and flatten out the lumbar spine.

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The test is negative if the leg resting on the table (leg being tested) remains on the table, meaning that there is either no contraction in the hip flexors, or the hip flexor is of appropriate length.

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The test is positive if the leg resting on the table lifts up off the table while the you hold your other leg close to your chest. This can also be accompanied by an increasing curvature in the lumbar region of the spine. The positive result on the test is either due to the contraction of the hip flexors, or tight hip flexors.

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While it is difficult to define the “ideal” pelvic position for every individual (our bodies are all different!), problems can occur when an individual has an excessive anterior pelvic tilt. We have selected 5 simple, but effective exercises / stretches that can help correct anterior pelvic tilt. The goal of these exercises / stretches is to stretch the hip flexors and lower back muscles, as well as improve the strength of the core and gluteus muscles.

Hip Flexor Stretch

To stretch the hip flexors

• Place the knee of the leg you intend to stretch on the floor in a lunge position with the shin resting on the ground. Have the opposite knee bent at 90 degrees with knees approximately shoulder width apart.
• Keep the upper body square and upright while you gently bring the pelvis forward to feel a stretch in your groin area.
• Hold for 20-40 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Perform 2 sets.

Important: Degree of stretch can be adjusted via degree of flexion at the knee.

Quadriceps Stretch

To stretch the rectus femoris

• Go on your knees while holding onto a stable support. Bring one leg in front of you while maintaining 90 degrees at the knee. Grasp the ankle of your other leg behind using the contralateral hand.
• Bring the ankle toward your buttocks as close as possible without creating a discomfort. You should feel a mild stretch in your thigh.
• Squeeze the buttocks, abdominal muscles, and tuck in the pelvis.
• Hold for 20-40 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Perform 2 sets.

Important: Degree of stretch can be adjusted via degree of flexion at the knee because the stretch pulls from both hip side and knee side. Therefore, you must tuck in the pelvis very SLOWLY.

Glute Bridges

To strengthen the gluteal muscles

• Lie supine with your legs bent at the hips and knees. Keep your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor, and arms resting by your sides at 45 degrees.
• Push through the heels, squeeze the buttocks, and bridge by raising your pelvis up while straightening out your body. Keep the hamstrings relaxed as much as possible.
• Hold for 2 seconds, then return to the original position while maintaining contraction in your buttocks. Perform 2 sets of 8-12 reps.

Important: Keep your buttocks (gluteal muscle) and abdominal muscles tightened during the exercise. Mildly push through with the feet to help activate glutes and reduce hamstring contraction if there is a difficulty relaxing them.

Plank

To strengthen the core muscles

• Get into a plank position, squeeze the buttocks and the abdominal muscles and hold the plank for 30-60 seconds. Perform 2-4 reps.

Important: To stabilize the body, keep your buttocks and abdominal muscles braced throughout the exercise. You can start the plank exercise from your knees if difficult to maintain the full plank position. It is better to maintain a proper form throughout the exercise rather than forcing a movement by employing false technique. Maintain neutral alignment of the spine and avoid twisting the torso. Maintain a normal, relaxed breathing pattern throughout the exercise.

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Practice a Posterior Pelvic Tilt

A posterior pelvic tilt can be done by tucking in your pelvis to compensate for anterior tilt. Practicing this movement can help you understand your natural range of motion and find a better pelvic alignment.

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At the end of the day, it is important to be remember the factors contributing to anterior pelvic tilt. Spending 10 minutes per day to do these corrective exercises, along with being more active and cutting down sedentary behaviour, is effective in correcting anterior pelvic tilt.

References:

Konin J.G., Wiksten D.L., Isear J.A., Brader H. (2006) Special Test for Orthopedic Examination (3^rd ed). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK incorporated

Preece, S. J., Willan, P., Nester, C. J., Graham-Smith, P., Herrington, L., & Bowker, P. (2008). Variation in pelvic morphology may prevent the identification of anterior pelvic tilt. The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 16(2), 113-7.

Alia Arslanova – Client Care Manager/Cardio Trainer

Alia has been doing sports since childhood: rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, synchronized swimming, and currently does Police Judo. Being constantly active, learning about human anatomy and kinetics makes her happy so choosing Kinesiology as her academic and career goal is a perfect match!

The post Anterior Pelvic Tilt and How to Correct It first appeared on Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training.

While sitting in a car (especially if you have an old school sports car with bucket seats!) is different than sitting at a desk, you still want to have great posture – but are we usually aware of our posture when we drive?

What is Good Driving Posture?

What does good driving posture look like? Generally, it means that we can draw a straight line through the ear canal, shoulder joint, chest, pelvis, and hips. When sitting in the car, the head should be in a neutral position. The back of the shoulders and lower back should touch the seat, and the back of the head should be lined up with the middle of the headrest. There should also be a slight bend in the arms when gripping the steering wheel, and a slight bend in the legs. Find a more detailed guide about adjusting your car to help with driving posture here.

Here is an example of good driving posture:

Alternatively, here is an example of poor driving posture: the neck is leaning forward, shoulders, and upper and lower back are rounded, pelvis is slouched, with too much bend in the arms and legs.

What Does Poor Posture Do?

Driving with poor posture affects several parts of the body including the hip flexors, gluteal, back, and neck muscles. Your body tries to compensate by lengthening these muscles to keep you upright. Over time, overworked and tight muscles make them harder to activate. This can lead to poor body alignment and posture.

Strengthening or stretching these muscles allow you to maintain good driving posture, and counteracts the tightness felt in a seated position. They also help with proper pelvic and spinal alignment, which prevents soreness or pain in problem areas such as the lower back and neck.

Go through these exercises 2-3 times. Even if you are pressed for time, taking 5-10 minutes to cycle through these exercises once each day can still make a difference!

Exercise 1: Bird Dog

• This exercise focuses on engaging your core and back muscles
• Throughout this exercise, focus on tucking your abdominals into your spine to engage your core
• Starting position: begin on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips
• Keeping your back and pelvis stable and in a straight line, reach your left arm forward and right leg back
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side to complete 1 repetition
• Repeat for 10 repetitions

Exercise 2: Hip Flexor Stretch

• In a lunged position: kneel with your left knee on the floor and right leg at a 90 degree angle in front of you
• Extend both your arms and place both hands on your right knee. This is so you can push down onto your knee and engage your core to stabilize your pelvis
• Keeping your back straight and squeezing your gluteal muscles slightly, slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your right hip. Hold this position for 5 seconds
• Return to the lunged position and repeat on the other side
• Repeat for 8 repetitions on each side

Exercise 3: Incline Push-ups

• This exercise works on your pectoral, or chest, muscles while also keeping your core and back stabilized
• Stand facing a bench or an elevated platform (make sure it’s sturdy and safe to put weight on)
• Position your forefoot back from the bench or elevated platform with the body and arms straight
• Your arms should be perpendicular (90 degree) to your body
• Keeping your body straight, lower your chest onto the edge of the bench or sturdy platform by bending your arms. Remember to tuck in your abs to engage your core
• Push your body up using your arms until they are fully extended to complete the repetition
• Repeat for 12 repetitions

Exercise 4: Glute Bridge

• This exercise is great for working on the gluteal muscles while engaging the core
• Starting position: lay on your back, with your knees flexed slightly over 90 deg. and spread a few inches apart, and feet flat on the ground
• Contract your gluteal muscles to lift your hips off the ground
• Focus on engaging your core (think: tucking in your abdominalss) and keeping your back straight throughout the exercise
• Return to the starting position and repeat for 10 repetitions

Exercise 5: Neck Stretches

Keep your back straight and head in a neutral position facing forward for the following neck stretches!

Stretching my neck makes me super happy (as you can tell from this photo)!

Side-to-Side:

• This exercise can be done standing or sitting: keep your back straight and head in a neutral position facing forward
• Turn your head 90 degrees to the right and hold for 5 seconds
• Return to a neutral head position
• Repeat on the other side

Ear-to-Shoulder:

• This exercise can also be done standing or sitting: again, keep your back straight and head in a neutral position facing forward
• Tilt your head towards the right and hold for 5 seconds
• Return to a neutral head position
• Repeat on the other side

Chin Nods:

• Leaning against a wall, keep your back straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and positioned slightly away from the wall
• Keep the back of your head touching the wall and nod down (similar to nodding ‘yes’). Do not push your head into the wall
• Hold for 2-5 seconds and return to a neutral head position
• Repeat for 10 repetitions

If driving for long periods of time, be sure to take breaks. When I go on longer drives, I like to pull over and park (safely), walk around, and stretch. Additionally, I park further away from my destination so I can walk more, and help stretch out my body.

May Guan – Client Care Manager/Cardio Trainer

May developed her passion for fitness from participating in multiple sports at a young age – eventually finding her love for both playing and coaching volleyball. She is also an avid hiker and distance runner, and is always in search of a new challenge. May believes in fostering a fun, inclusive, and supportive environment where people can achieve their health-related goals.

The post 5 Exercises to Improve Driving Posture first appeared on Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training.

Anxiety? Try Bikram Yoga

It has been shown that Bikram yoga reduces cortisol levels and therefore decreases the body’s stress response. A special breathing portion unique to Bikram yoga called pranayama has calming effects. Done at the very beginning of class, pranayama forces the participant to slow down and deepen the breath, resulting in a relaxing state.

Heart Disease? Try Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga, with its fast pace and aerobic poses, can help improve many factors related to heart disease. Ashtanga can improve cardiovascular health by boosting blood circulation, increasing lung capacity, and improving heart rate. Yoga also reduces stress, which plays a factor in blood pressure.

Injured? Try Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar yoga focuses on body posture alignment and strength. Each pose is held for a long period of time, but the use of props helps alleviate pressure on joints. This reduces pain and fatigue of the body by keeping the poses within the body’s boundaries yet builds strength, stability, and flexibility. By focusing on precision, Iyengar is less likely to cause further injury, as an instructor keeps a careful eye on every pose.

Premenstrual Syndrome? Try Vinyasa Yoga

Bloated, sore, cramped, or cranky? Vinyasa yoga just may be your solution! Although instinct may be to curl up in bed and eat a chocolate bar while you are on your cycle, getting active will help relieve PMS symptoms. As Vinyasa flows through a variety of poses, blood flow through your body increases, helping oxygenated blood reach the reproductive organs. Yoga has been shown to release endorphins, elevating your mood decreasing stress, further helping relieve those time-of-the-month symptoms.

Have you tried yoga for any of these conditions? Share in the comments!

Mika Fogelman – Client Care Manager

Mika is passionate about helping others in any way she can. Having danced since she was five years old, she discovered excitement for fitness through teaching Zumba dance fitness classes, and loves to help others develop their confidence through exercise.

The post Which Yoga is Right for You? Pt. 2 first appeared on Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training.

There are many causes of lower back pain, but most acute pain typically stems from muscle strains / ligament sprains. Muscle strains and ligament sprains can occur as a result of fatigue, overuse or improper use of the muscles. The following 5 exercises can help alleviate lower back pain and get you moving pain free again.

#1 Back Flexion Stretch

• Lie flat on back with legs fully extended
• Tuck knees in towards chest and use hands to hold knees in place
• Lift your head off of the mat until a stretch is felt along the mid/lower back
• Hold for 20-30 seconds before releasing

#2 Cat/Cow Stretch

• Starting on our hands and knees, making sure the shoulder is above the hands and hips are above the knees
• Inhale and extend the chest up, while dropping your bellybutton towards the floor. Imagine if you had a tail, extending your tail upwards like a happy puppy.
• Hold for a brief moment before exhaling and rounding the back leading with the tail bone, simultaneously tuck your chin in towards the chest
• Repeat for 15-20 repetitions

#3 Trunk Twist

• Lie flat on your back with both legs extended
• Bring your right legs towards your chest
• With your left hand push the right knee towards the left and onto the ground
• Extend the right arm out towards the side and turn head to face right hand
• Ensure shoulder blades stay in contact with the ground
• Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat with the other side

#4 Knee Rocks

• Lie flat on your back knees bent 45 degrees
• Put feet together and flat on the ground
• Rock knees from side to side as far as you can go without falling over
• Extend your arms 45 degrees to the side with palm side down to provide support
• Rock 10-15 times each side

#5 Glute Bridge

• Lie flat on your back with a 45 degree bend in your knees
• Feet shoulder width apart and flat on the ground
• Keep arms 45 degrees to the side, palm side down
• Lift hips off of the ground until a straight line is formed between the upper trunk, hips and thighs
• Squeeze glutes and contract abdominal muscles at the top
• Hold bridge position for 3 seconds before dropping back down gently
• Repeat for 12 repetitions

Why glute bridge you ask?

The glute bridge is the perfect exercise to improve hip mobility and increase lower back strength. The gluteus muscles are stabilizer muscles that support the pelvis and sacrum. If these muscles are not well conditioned it can result in pelvic tilt and induce lower back pain.

Kevin Kwok – Client Care Manager

Kevin enrolled in numerous sports program as a child, which exposed him to an active lifestyle early in life. He played ultimate frisbee competitively in at the junior level while in high school. Kevin now focuses his training exclusively on dragon boating. He has been paddling for the past 2 years and hopes to make the Canadian National Team in 2019. He hopes he can motivate others to accomplish their short and long term fitness goals.

The post 5 Exercises to Help Alleviate Lower Back Pain first appeared on Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training.

You can ask any avid yogi, yoga is not just a stretching class. Some serious strength and flexibility can be developed by regular yoga sessions, but which class is right for your abilities and goals?

Stressed? Try Yin Yoga

If you’re looking for a workout that will clear your mind yet make those muscles burn, try Yin yoga. Yin yoga poses are held for several minutes at a time allowing you to go deeper into the pose, fully releasing your muscles and improving flexibility. Yin is a meditative practice that clears the mind through slow movements so you won’t have to worry about keeping up in class.

Like a Routine? Try Bikram Yoga

Bikram yoga is for those who like to see what’s coming! This practice consists of 26 poses in a set series performed in a room precisely set to 40.5°C and 40% humidity. Considered a type of hot yoga, the hot class environment can help limber up the limbs but can also lead to over-stretching, so take it easy for your first few times and make sure to hydrate before class. Since every Bikram instructor uses the same poses in the same order, this class won’t keep you guessing.

HIIT Lover? Try Vinyasa Yoga

Quite opposite to Yin, Vinyasa goes with the flow and never stays in one position for long. This fast-paced class will increase your heart rate and connect your breath to every move. Moving through different postural positions Vinyasa is a great way to build flexibility and strength quite quickly.

Looking for Strength? Try Ashtanga Yoga

A more challenging class that is typically approached by more advanced yogis, Ashtanga has a set routine like Bikram but with more challenging poses. Ashtanga yoga consists of six series of yoga poses, performed in the same order in every single class. Without needing to worry about figuring out new moves every class, you can get into the routine and work on perfecting these demanding moves. With regular practice, these moves can improve your strength significantly in almost every part of the body. However, if you have sensitive muscles or joints, this may not be the best practice for you.

Stepping Out of the Yoga Box? Try AcroYoga

A wonderful mixture of acrobatics and yoga, AcroYoga is one impressive practice. In this practice, you are either lifting up a person or you are being lifted. Don’t let it intimidate you- with the right teacher, AcroYoga can definitely be for beginners. AcroYoga classes for beginners can teach you the basics, no extreme flexibility or strength necessary!

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Mika is passionate about helping others in any way she can. Having danced since she was five years old, she discovered excitement for fitness through teaching Zumba dance fitness classes, and loves to help others develop their confidence through exercise.

The post Which Yoga is Right for You? first appeared on Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training.