Everything You Need to Know About Pelvic Motion - Explained in 5 Minutes
The pelvis is one of the most important structures in the axial skeleton. The pelvis contains the sacrum, ilium and ischium bones which are have the attachment sites of many of the most important muscles and ligaments in the body.
The sacroiliac joint has small motions, maybe 2° on each side, but these motions are crucial for force storage and release during upright propulsive activities.
When talking about motions of the pelvis, we have two broad categories:
Relative motions: The small movements between the sacrum and ilium and the associated movements of the lumbar spine and hips.
Orientation: Movement of the entire pelvis as a unit in space.
If we are oriented we typically don't have access to relative motions to the degree we would if we were in a less forward position with respect to our center of mass.
When it comes to orientations of the pelvis, we have anterior pelvic tilt, posterior pelvic tilt, lateral pelvic tilt, and anterior orientation without significant pelvic tilt.
While anterior pelvic tilt is an obvious forward movement, the posterior pelvic tilt which is often associated with a swayback posture is also a forward movement of the pelvis. When the lower half of the pelvis moves forward more than the upper half, you get a posterior tilted but anteriorly oriented pelvis and a tight glute area that we see in a swayback individual.
To improve range of motion and restore sacroiliac joint movement, we need to reorient our pelvis in space on the proper axis. To do this, we need to identify which aspect of the pelvis is forward and the axis of movement, and then we need to do activities that allow us to move away from this tendency in the opposing direction.
If you need help figuring out a plan to help reorient your pelvis to restore relative motions, visit chaplinperformance.com to book a consult.
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - What are the two main types of Pelvic Motion?
00:48 - How do we know if we have access to relative motions?
01:10 - What are the relative motions within the Pelvis?
01:25 - Movement of the Ilium
02:10 - Movement of the Sacrum
02:30 - Associated Movements of the Sacrum and Ilium
02:58 - Relative Motion While Walking
03:30 - What is Pelvic Orientation?
03:54 - How do we know if we have a Pelvic Orientation?
04:12 - Anterior Pelvic Tilt
04:25 - Posterior Pelvic Tilt
04:41 - Anterior Orientation Without Pelvic Tilt
04:59 - Lateral Pelvic Tilt
05:32 - How to Restore Relative Motions
06:23 - Thanks for Watching