How to Do a Pelvic Tilt

Pelvic tilt exercises can stretch and strengthen your abdominal muscles, and help to relieve sciatica and low back (lumbar) pain. Their benefits are far greater than their complexity: Simply lie on your back with your knees bent and raise your pelvis.

Pelvic tilts are safe for just about anyone, even if you're pregnant.

This article explains the muscles used in pelvic tilt exercises and why it's important to strengthen them. It also gives step-by-step instructions on how to perform a basic pelvic tilt.

Pelvic Tilt Exercise

Pelvic tilt exercises are designed to strengthen some of these core muscles. Research has found that two specific abdominal muscles are engaged most. One is the multifidus, which extends and rotates the spine. The other muscle is the deepest of the abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominis, which wraps around the spine to provide stability.

Pelvic tilt exercises can be done in a variety of ways. The simplest, which is performed while supine (lying on your back), is safe for most people, including beginners and those experiencing back pain.

To do a basic pelvic tilt:

1. Lie on the floor (or on a mat on the floor) with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms alongside your torso, palms facing down. The back of your head should be touching the mat and your neck should be aligned with your spine. Allow your back to maintain a natural curve, leaving space between your low back and the mat. You should be able to slide your hand into this space.
2. Inhale. Then as you exhale, engage your abdominal muscles, allowing that action to tilt your tailbone upward and close the space between your low back and the mat or floor. You'll feel a gentle stretch of your low back.
3. Inhale, allowing your spine and pelvis to return to the original position.
4. Do 5 to 10 reps.

Pelvic Tilt Modifications

Pelvic tilt variations can be done standing, kneeling, and sitting.

Advanced exercisers who want to really challenge their core muscles can do them while standing with their back against a wall. Women who are in the late stages of pregnancy should do pelvic tilts while on all fours.

Standing Pelvic Tilt

If you're pregnant or have a condition that makes it uncomfortable to lie on your back, the standing pelvic tilt may be more comfortable. To do a standing pelvic tilt:

1. Place your back against a sturdy wall and lean slightly against it.
2. Inhale and allow your knees to bend slightly.
3. Exhale as you lift your pelvis up away from the wall toward your face. This movement should straighten the natural curve of your lower back so that it presses against the wall.
4. When you're ready, inhale and return to your neutral starting position.
5. Do 5 to 10 reps.

Kneeling Pelvic Tilt

To add variety and If your fitness level allows, you can try a more challenging variation. To do a kneeling pelvic tilt:

1. On a padded surface, kneel and get into an all-fours position with your wrists aligned underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Breathe in.
3. Exhale and pull upward with your abdominals while rounding your back and pressing into your arms.
4. Release slowly and return to neutral position.
5. Do 5 to 10 reps.

This pelvic tilt variation should only be done if you have no pain in your wrists and knees.

Seated Pelvic Tilt

To do this more challenging variation, you'll need an exercise ball. Choose a ball that is the right size for you. You should be able to sit on it with your hips slightly higher than your knees.

To do the seated pelvic tilt:

1. Inhale as you take a seat on an exercise ball with your feet shoulder-width apart. Engage your core muscles to help maintain your posture and stay balanced.
2. Exhale and tuck your tailbone under you, rolling slightly forward on the ball.
3. Inhale as you press your tailbone back to roll the ball away from your feet and back to a neutral position.
4. Do 5 to 10 reps.

Using an exercise ball requires keeping your core muscles engaged to maintain your balance, making this variation more challenging than others.

Safety and Precautions

Pelvic tilts are safe for most people when done properly in the right position.

You may want to avoid supine pelvic tilts if:

• You're pregnant.
• You have a condition that makes lying on your back painful.

Instead, try standing or kneeling pelvic tilts if you are pregnant or unable to lie on your back.

You should avoid standing pelvic tilts if you have:

• Balance problems
• Injuries to your knees or feet that do permit weight-bearing

You should avoid kneeling pelvic tilts if you:

• Have an injury to a hand, wrist, or knee
• Recently had surgery on your hand, wrist, or knee

As always, check with your healthcare provider before starting or intensifying a workout routine.

Common Mistakes When Doing a Pelvic Tilt

There are a few mistakes you want to avoid when doing pelvic tilts.

Forgetting to breathe: Breathing provides oxygen to your muscles, helps you stay focused, and helps prevent injury.

Lifting your pelvis: If your butt is coming up off the floor as you do a pelvic tilt, this is a different exercise called a bridge. You also may end up rolling your pelvis toward your feet instead of your head.

Using abdominal muscles incorrectly: Pushing your belly out or sucking it in as you do a pelvic tilt is not working the core muscles. You should feel deeper muscles (transverse abdominus) tightening once you fully engage your abdominal muscles.

Summary

Pelvic tilt exercises can relieve sciatica and lower back pain by stretching and strengthening your abdominal muscles. In addition to the basic pelvic tilt, there are variations that adjust positioning for people who are pregnant or have pain that doesn't allow them to lay flat on their back.

Be sure to take necessary precautions, including checking with your healthcare provider before starting or intensifying a workout routine.