A correctly placed pelvis is the foundation of good sitting posture.

Without your pelvis being in the right position, it is very difficult (… perhaps even impossible!) to have good posture.

By addressing the pelvis, you are giving your body the opportunity to adopt the best possible posture whilst sitting.

If you find that you are developing pain and/or stiffness in your body after sitting all day, your sitting posture may be the root cause of it all!

How do most people sit?

If you are like the vast majority of people who slouch, you probably sit with your pelvis in position called a Posterior Pelvic Tilt.

This is where the pelvis is tilted backwards (see above).

This cause a domino effect of bad posture in the whole body!

What is the ideal position of the pelvis?

Main Points:

• The pelvis should be in a neutral position.
  • (… or in a slight degree of Forward tilt).
• There should be even distribution of your weight spread between both buttocks.
• Avoid sitting with a Rotated pelvis.
  • Your knees should be equal distance away from you

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10 reasons why Your pelvis is Not in The Correct Position Whilst Sitting

(…And The Exercises to fix it!)

1. Lack Of Understanding Of The Correct Position
2. Poor Pelvis Control
3. Incorrect Chair
4. Tight Hamstrings
5. Tight Glute Muscles
6. Weak Lower Back
7. Weak Core
8. Lack Of Hip Flexion
9. Lack Of Lower Back Extension
10. Large Belly/Thigh

1. A lack of understanding on how to position the pelvis

There are these pointy bones at the bottom of your pelvis called the Ischial Tuberosities (… let’s call them your Sit Bones).

To place your pelvis in a neutral position: Distribute your body weight between the SIT bones and the front of the pelvic floor region.

How To Sit

• Locate the Sit bones:
  • Whilst sitting down, slide your hands underneath your hip.
  • Feel for a bony prominence under either side.
• Visualize these bones as upside-down triangles.
• Tilt your pelvis forwards and backwards.
  • As you are doing this, feel for when the sit bones protrude into your hands the most.
  • This corresponds to when your pelvis is in the neutral position.
• The aim is to sit directly on top of the point of the triangle and the front of the pelvic floor region.

(Note: Make sure that you do not overly tilt your pelvis forwards in the sitting position. This can lead to issues such as a hip impingement and increased tension in the lower back.)

2. Poor pelvis control

If you are unable to completely control your pelvis, it can be difficult to move your pelvis into the ideal position.

Try out this exercise to improve the control of your pelvis:

Pelvic Tilt Exercise

Instructions:

• Lie down on the floor.
• Have your knee bents and feet on the floor.
• Proceed to tilt your pelvis forwards and backwards.
• Aim to get as much movement in the pelvis as possible.
• Perform 30 repetitions.

3. Incorrect Chair

How can you position your pelvis correctly if the chair that you sit on does not support you?

Seat Height

Main Points:

• Your hip and knees should be approximately at a 90-100 degrees angle.
  • (Your hip angle can be wider if you feel more comfortable.)
• Keep your feet flat on the floor.
  • (If you have shorter legs, consider using a foot stool)
• Your hips should be slightly higher than your knees.

Seat Tilt

The seat of the chair should be flat or tilted slightly forward.

This will help promote the most neutral position of the pelvis.

Get a better chair

If you are looking to get a new chair, make sure you know what you should be looking for.

See Post: Characteristics Of A Good Chair

4. Tight hamstrings

Tight hamstrings (especially the upper region) can pull your pelvis into a posterior pelvic tilt whilst in a seated position.

Here are some stretches.

Upper Hamstring

Instructions:

• Stand up right.
• Place a slightly bent knee on a block in front of you.
• Bend forward by hinging at the hips.
• Aim to feel a stretch in the UPPER region of the hamstrings.
• Remember to keep your back straight!
• Hold for 30 seconds.

Lower/Middle Hamstring

Instructions:

• Stand up right.
• Place your straightened leg in front of you on a block.
• Keep your foot pointed.
• Bend forward by hinging at the hips.
• Keep your back straight.
• Aim to feel a stretch in the LOWER/MIDDLE region of the hamstrings.
• Hold for 30 seconds.

5. Tight gluteal muscles

Tight gluteal muscles may make it difficult for you to position your pelvis in a more neutral position.

Gluteal Stretch

Instructions:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Place your left ankle on the right knee.
• Grab your right knee and pull towards your chest.
• Aim to feel a stretch at the back of your left hip.
• Ensure that you arch your lower back to increase the stretch.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Repeat stretch on the other side.

6. Lower Back Weakness

The main muscles responsible for tilting your pelvis into a better position are called your lower back erectors.

If these muscles are weak or inhibited, it will be difficult to get your pelvis into a neutral position.

Try out the following exercise to strengthen the muscles in the lower back:

Back Extensions

Instructions:

• Lie on the floor with your arms reach out in front of you.
• Lift up both arms and legs in the air.
• Aim to feel a contraction of the muscles in your lower back.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

7. Weak core muscles

Once you have achieved a neutral position of the pelvis whilst sitting, the body relies on strong core muscles to maintain this position.

This exercises is a great way to engage your core:

Dead Bug Exercise

Instructions:

• Lie on your back with your knee and hip bent at 90 degrees
• Engage the core and abdominal muscles throughout all movements.
  • (Think about drawing your belly button down into your spine.)
• Keeping your right knee bent towards your chest, slowly lower AND straighten the left leg towards the ground.
• Only lower as far as you can whilst maintaining your lower back completely flat on the ground.
  • A small amount of arch in the lower back is fine.
• Aim to feel the contraction of your abdominal wall.
• Return back to starting position.
• Alternate legs.
• Repeat 10 times.

For more exercises like this:

See Post: How To Strengthen The Core Muscles

8. Lack of hip flexion

Adequate hip flexion mobility is required when sitting down.

If you lack flexion in the hip joint (and/or have hip impingement), your body will compensate by tilting your pelvis backwards as you sit down.

The following exercises helps to create more space in the front of your hip. This can help increase the amount of flexion in the hip.

Hip Joint Traction

Instructions:

• Lie on the floor in the position as shown.
• Anchor a thick resistance band to a stationary object.
• Flex your hip to 90 degrees.
• Wrap the resistance band as high up into the hip crease as possible.
• Move your whole body further away from the anchor point.
  • This to create tension on the band.
• Hold onto your knee with your hands.
• Keep the hip completely relaxed.
• Hold for 1-2 minutes.
• Alternate sides.

9. Lack of lumbar spine extension

If you have a stiff lower back, this may prevent your pelvis from moving into the correct position when sitting.

Lower Back Extension Stretch

Instructions:

• Lie on your stomach.
• Place hands on floor directly under shoulders.
• Straighten your elbows.
• Arch backwards.
  •  (Be careful if you have lower back issues)
• Aim to feel a stretch across your abdominal region.
• Breathe and expand your stomach as you stretch.
• Hold for 60 seconds.

10. Large belly/Thigh size

If you tend to have a large stomach and/or thigh region, this will create a physical block between your pelvis and thighs and prevents the pelvis for adopting a neutral position whilst sitting.

If you fall into this category, I suggest that you sit from a slightly higher chair so that the angle between your thigh and body is around 120 degrees.

This places the hips higher than the position of the knees which can provide more space at the front of the hip region and allow the pelvis to adopt a more neutral position.

(Alternatively – you can try using a kneeling chair.)

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Conclusion

• If you sit for a long period of time, it is important to maintain the optimal position of the pelvis.
• Your entire posture is based on how the pelvis is positioned.
• Aim to “Sit on your Sit bones” and front pelvic floor region by tilting your pelvis forward.
• Consider addressing the 10 reasons why it is difficult to maintain the correct position of the pelvis.

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Disclaimer: The content presented on this blog post is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of the content provided on this blog post is at your sole risk. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional before starting any exercise and/or implementing any recommendation. For more information: Medical Disclaimer.