By: Jen Fleming, RMT
When we think of our “root” or base we often immediately think of our feet. They are at the bottom of our structural pile, they are what touches the Earth and are what absorbs the most impact. And certainly they do carry the most weight – the whole rest of our bodies rest atop them.
But they are not the true source of stability. Stability comes from a much larger structure; the pelvis.
The pelvis is a bowl shaped collection of four bones; the paired innominates or hip bones, the triangular sacrum and the remnant of a tail, the coccyx. Together these four bones create the true root of the skeleton and the base line on which posture rests.
When we walk, during heel strike a kinetic force moves up from the ground through our legs to the pelvis. From here the force is distributed across the pelvis, up through the lumbar spine where it is then transferred our across the thoracic cage. At the same time, the force of gravity pulling down on our bodies is transferred across the same channels then down our legs into the ground. Structurally speaking this is the primary job of the pelvis; to evenly distribute kinetic and gravitational forces through our bodies.
When this baseline is out of proper alignment this job becomes much more difficult to do. The forces can no longer be properly distributed and certain areas see more than their due. Take for instance the most common pelvic posture, the forward tilt. If we think back to the bowl analogy, a forward tiling pelvis would be pouring out the front aspect of the bowl. If we imagine the lumbar spine resting atop the sacrum, we can immediately see why low back pain is a common symptom of this simple postural problem.
Beyond muscular pain, if this forward tilt is not corrected in a timely fashion, damage to the discs in the L4/L5/S1 region can become an issue. Nerve compression can lead to sciatica and the postures above the lumbar spine begin to change as well.
Luckily it really is quite simple to address. Lying on the floor with the knees up over the seat of a couch or chair is the easiest way to relieve discomfort. From this position gravity does all the work, elongating the muscles of the lumbar spine and opening the spaces between the vertebrae. This alleviates most of the pressure in this area, giving compressed nerves, muscles and discs a break. By opening up the channels between the vertebrae, drainage to the over worked areas can also be achieved decreasing any fluid congestion or swelling present in the area.
To correct, assume the same position and engage the lower abdominal muscles to flatten the low back into the floor and hold for 5-10 seconds. Repeat this crunch 5 times to start building your muscles up.
The primary cause of this postural problem is not the muscles of the back, but the muscles of the front. When the abdominal muscles get too long they no longer pull the front of the pelvic bowl upwards and instead allow it to tilt. By doing this simple tiny crunch one can train the lower abdominals to maintain a mild engagement throughout the day thus shortening them and return the pelvic bowl to balance.
References: Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, Tortora, 11th Ed. Principles of Physiotherapy, Hertling and Kessler, 4th Ed.
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