Tag Archives: Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Helping Correct Anterior Pelvic Tilt to Eliminate Hip and Low Back Strain

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If you’re having problems with tightness in the hip area and lower back, it might not just be tight muscles, but how your hips are positioned. Here, we show you a few movements to help fix ANTERIOR PELVIC TILT.

Before we get rolling, let’s explain what anterior pelvic tilt is.

It’s when your pelvis ends up tilting forward (or anterior; see image below).

Two images of a skeleton shown from the side. The 1st is shown with good posture and the 2nd shows bad posture with anterior pelvic tilt.

When this happens, it ends up changing the position of your pelvis, hip, and lower back. It also changes the location of your head position, the curve of the spine, and can even lead to knee and ankle problems. This change in the position can cause you to end up having more stress on your hip, back, and knee, which increases the risk of injury and pain.

3 Stretches to Help LIVE PAIN-FREE and Correct Anterior Pelvic Tilt

#1 – 90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch

On a mat, kneel down with the front leg up, with the knee at 90 degrees, the back leg is on the ground, but also bent at 90 degrees. Make sure to tighten up the abdominal area. Then, move your hips forward, maintaining shoulders back. You are looking for a stretch in front of the hip.

You will feel the stretch in the front of your hip and the thigh. You are looking for a light stretch. You are not trying to rip the muscle apart. Hold that for about 20 to 30 seconds, twice on each side: first the right leg, then the left. Alternating back and forth for the two sets.

Image demonstrating the 90/90 Hip Flexor Stretch. A man is shown with his left leg kneeling with the knee at a 90-degree angle and the right leg up, as if he were sitting on a chair, with the knee at 90 degrees.

#2 – Side Lying Quad Stretch

Lying on your side, reach back and grab the foot of the top leg with the same side’s arm as the leg you are bending. As you grab the foot, bring the heel towards the butt. The key here is not to just pull the heel to the butt but bring the thigh back a little bit in order to intensify the stretch in the front of the thigh and the front of the hip. Think – PULL THE HEEL AWAY FROM THE BUTT 6–8 INCHES.

You are looking at holding the light stretch for 20 seconds and you will do it twice on each side, alternating: Right Leg, then roll to other side and do Left Leg. Repeat.

Image demonstrating the Side Lying Quad Stretch. A man is shown lying on a mat on his left side. His left arm is bent at an angle to support his head and his left leg is straight. His right leg is bent at the knee and he is holding his right foot with his right hand.

#3 – Deep Squat Stretch

Stand up tall with a wider stance then shoulder width. From that position, squat down with hips below the knees. In the bottom position, place the elbows between the knees and then push the knees out with the elbows. You are looking for a stretch in the inner thigh and hips.

This position and pressure will end up changing the position in the lower back and in the pelvis from an anterior tilt to a posterior tilt. Perform this stretch twice with a 20- to 30-second hold for each.


What stretches do you do? How do you improve your posture? Comment below, or, AIUM members, continue the conversation on Connect, the AIUM’s online community.

Mark “Coach Rozy” Roozen, MEd, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, TSAC-F, FNSCA, is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, a certified personal trainer, and a fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Doug Wuebben BA, AS, RDCS (Adult and Peds), FASE, is a registered echocardiographer and also a consultant, international presenter, and author of e-books in the areas of ergonomics, exercise and pain, and injury correction for sonographers. He has also been published on the topics of telemedicine and achieving lab accreditation.

Wuebben and Roozen are co-founders of Live Pain Free — The Right Moves. They can be contacted at livepainfree4u@gmail.com.