How To Realign Your Pelvis?

There are several reasons why an individual may experience a misalignment of the pelvis. Most commonly pelvis misalignments occur due to an imbalance of strength in the pelvis muscles which causes the muscles, joints and the pelvis bones to misalign. Misalignment of pelvis is one of the major causes for back pain, hip and knee pain and also several other musculoskeletal problems. There are various ways you can realign your pelvis.

Our pelvis is made of many bones that are fused together. There is a group of bone on the left side and a group on the right side. These two groups of bones come together in the middle and are joined together in the very front by a cartilage. If your pelvis is out of alignment then the entire foundation that your pelvic floor muscles, nerves and ligaments are lying on, is off. There may be serious pain in the pelvis when it is misaligned. You may require medical treatments like surgery, physical therapies at times to realign your pelvis. However, there are also specific exercises which would aid you realign your pelvis at home.

We will know about some of the ways to realign your pelvis in our following arrays.

In order to realign your pelvis, you need to stretch the tight or overactive muscles, strengthen or activate the weak or inhibited muscles and also train your brain to keep the pelvis in the normal position. Exercise can help you to a greater extent in realigning your pelvis. We will talk about some of the best exercises to realign your pelvis. Surgical treatments are essential in treating severe cases of misaligned pelvis.

Below are some of the exercises to realign your pelvis.

1. Exercises To Realign Your Pelvis:

   1. Pelvic Tilt Exercise To Realign You Pelvis:

      This exercise is useful to strengthen the pelvic muscles and aids in correcting misalignment of the pelvis. Below are the steps to perform this exercise.

      • To start with the exercise, lie flat on the floor keeping your knees bent, feet lying flat on the floor along with the head, shoulders, back and arms.
      • Now, slowly lift your hip up by rotating the pelvis, keep in mind that only the lower back or the hip portion should be lifted up.
      • Hold this position for few seconds. Ensure you maintain a normal breathing pattern here
      • Repeat this for about 12 times in a day

        

   2. Realigning the Pelvis with Sit ups:

      One more exercise to realign your pelvis can be simple sit-ups. They are great in getting stronger abs.

      • Lie on the floor and try to curl up by lifting your upper body, or your head and the shoulders off the floor.
      • Just try to get your shoulders slightly off the floor and do not force self to lift up higher.
      • Repeat this for 10 times in one set.
      • You can go for more than one or two sets of 10 reps each.

        

   3. Knees to Chest Exercise to Realign Pelvis:

      Another effective exercise to realigning your pelvis or the hips is knees-to-chest exercise. 

      • To start with the exercise, lie flat on your back. Bend your knees in a way that feet are kept flat on the floor along with the head, shoulders, back and your hips.
      • Next, try to bring one knee towards your chest as much as possible.
      • Hold this position for about few seconds and then return back to the starting position
      • Repeat the same with your other Knee.
      • Perform 4 repetitions on each leg regularly.

        

   4. Planks-An Effective Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis:

      Planks help you strengthen your abdominal muscles and other groups of muscles and hold your pelvis and hips in place while building your core strength.

      • Start the exercise with a downward facing dog position with your arms shoulder width apart
      • Now, simply resting self on your toes and your lower arms, prop your body up, off the floor.
      • Hold this position for as long as you can. You can increase the amount of time you can hold the plank to about 60 seconds.
      • You can also go for side planks or single leg planks to add some variation to the move

        

   5. Realigning the Pelvis with Seated Side Straddle Stretch:

      This exercise aids in stretching the hip abductor muscles and thus aid in realigning your pelvis.

      • To begin the exercise, sit on the floor and stretch both your legs outward.
      • Then, hold your right foot with the right hand and raise your left hand above overhead while leaning towards the right side as much as possible by you. You can feel a stretch here.
      • Hold this for a couple of seconds and then return back to the starting position.
      • Repeat the same stretch with the other side.
      • Go for 4 repetitions on each side and go for 8 such stretches in a day.

        

   6. Prone Hip Extensions:

      This exercise helps in strengthening lower back and leg muscles on your weaker side. However it must be noted that prone hip extensions must not be done by the pregnant women.

      • Keeping a pillow underneath your hips, lie facing down on your stomach
      • Bend your knee on the weaker side while raising the bottom of your leg
      • Slightly raise the upper leg while keeping the knee bent at a 90 degree angle.
      • Slowly lower the leg and return to the starting position.
      • Perform 8 such repetitions; 3 times in a week. You can eventually increase the repetitions to 10 or 12.

        

   7. Side Hip Adductions:

      This is a stretch involving lower back and legs which aids in realigning your pelvis.

      • Lie side ways (left) on the floor and fold your left arm to rest your head on your palm. keep the right arm on the floor to give your body a support.
      • Slowly raise your right leg up to a 45 degree angle.
      • Lower the leg and rest for about 2 seconds and then repeat.
      • Perform 8 repetitions and repeat the same on the other side 2 to 3 times every week.
      • You can increase it to about 12 repetitions eventually.

        

   8. Hip Adductor and Flexor Exercise using Resistance Band:

      Using a resistance band you can perform hip adductor and flexor exercises to realign your pelvis.

      • To start with the exercise, place one end of the resistance band on any strong surface like leg of the workout bench; and the other end of the band around your ankle.
      • Now, lift the leg which holds the resistance band on the ankle, outward until you feel the resistance.
      • Return to the starting position and repeat for 10 times.
      • Then perform the same with the other leg.

        

   9. Illiotibial Band Stretch to Help Realign the Pelvis:

      Iliotibial band is the connective tissue that runs from the knee up the side of your leg to the outer pelvis. It is essential to note that this band may get inflamed in case there is a misalignment in the pelvis or the hips. Here, the Iliotibial band may require stretching. Make a note that pregnant women must avoid this exercise.

      • Stand sideways next to a wall at first
      • Then, cross one of your legs facing away from the wall behind the other leg.
      • Next, lean the side of the hip with the crossed leg back towards the wall so as to feel a stretch.
      • Hold the position for about 30 seconds.
      • Rest for few seconds and perform the same for four times.
      • Then do the same with other side for another four times.

        

   10. Some More Exercises to Help Realign your Pelvis:

       Here are some other exercises you can try:

       • Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis #1: Lie flat on the floor stretching both your legs. Then fold one leg over the other leg’s knee and then get the leg towards your chest as shown in the image. Hold this for about 30 seconds and then relax. Rest for few seconds and then repeat the same with the other leg.

         

       • Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis # 2: Lie flat on the floor and raise your right leg 6-8 inches above the floor and hold this for about 10 seconds and then repeat the same with the other leg

         

       • Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis #3: Begin with a kneeling position and stretch both your arms forward in front of you. You could feel a stretch here in your lower back. Hold this for 10 seconds and return to normal

         

       • Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis #4: Come on all your fours and slowly take one leg back by lifting it above the floor. Hold this for 10 seconds and rest in starting position before doing the same with the other leg

         

       • Exercise to Realign Your Pelvis # 5: Lie on the floor on your back making sure that your lower back is slightly arched up off the floor. Now, suck your stomach in and you can feel your lower back is pressed onto the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds.

         

2. Physical Therapy To Realign Your Pelvis:

   One can work closely with a physical therapy professional by undergoing physical therapy. Stretching and strengthening of muscles under the supervision of a physical therapist can aid you with specific cases of pelvis alignment. You can practise the prescribed physical therapy exercises to realign your pelvis even at home.

3. Surgery To Realign Your Pelvis:

   If even after trying the exercises and physical therapies, you fail to realign the pelvis then you probably require surgery for the realignment of your pelvis. Trained surgeons can operate on the pelvis and hip to correct the misalignment. In extremely severe cases of misalignments, an arthroplasty or a hip replacement surgery requires to be carried out

It must be noted that though some exercises can help you realign your pelvis at home, you should really visit a professional in case you have had a surgery, or spinal cord problems or any other serious condition of chronic pelvic misalignment or pelvic pain. Apart from this, there are also some exercises which must not be done by pregnant women. So consult your physical therapist or medical professional before performing the exercises to realign your pelvis.

Also Read:

• Pelvic Fracture or Fractured Pelvis: Types, Causes, Treatment, 3 Exercises
• What is Pelvis Avulsion Fracture?
• What is Twisted Pelvis & How is it Treated?