The pelvis and the lower back

✅ "Find your neutral pelvic foundation." Why do we ask you in posture and Pilates classes to do this before and throughout every single exercise?

The lumbar spine or lower back sits above your pelvis. It comprises of 5 large vertebra, and as you can see, not much else! It is very mobile when compared to the stiffness of the upper back and ribs above. It needs much support of the muscles that support it and a strong well aligned base. The pelvis should form a strong foundation for the lower back to stack on.

✅ The beginnings of good support for the lumbar spine start with learning to find your 'neutral' pelvic foundation when standing, sitting and strengthening. This will in turn awaken your deep abdominal corset and other supporting muscles in the region.

✅ Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of water. Your 'neutral' pelvic foundation for the spine above would have your bowl sitting level, without spilling, or twisting.

✅ A healthy relationship between the alignment of your pelvic bowl and your lower back will prevent pain and injury, make you feel in better control of your posture and improve the efficiency in the way that you move and exercise! Win!

How is your bowl sitting at the moment?

Pilates-based exercise and postural strengthening are the best ways to build not only awareness, but also strength and endurance in the muscles used to keep your pelvic bowl 'neutral'. A healthy pelvic foundation will prevent back and neck pain further up the chain.

This notion of graduated exposure can be applied to many a scenario, but I am talking about it with reference to exercise and activity levels. Pacing slowly, with small increments of change, will usually prevent failure. From the beginnings of exercise, to the highly tuned athlete, training programs will always follow the paradigm of graduated exposure to allow the body to adapt and to prevent injury. 

What is the opposite of graduated exposure?  Being a "boom and buster." Intrigued? Could this be you when it comes to exercise or activity levels?

Here is the scenario. You set out on a new activity - say, jogging. Perhaps you've been injured, or unfit and want a new challenge. Sydney's City to Surf or another of your favourite fun runs has come around again and you are keen to get involved. It's hard at first to get training, but you get a hang of it after a few weeks. Perhaps you start like a bull at a gate. You jump up considerably in your running volumes because you're feeling so damn good - but, uh oh. You've boomëd ( hooray!)...but also busted (uh oh). You find yourself back at the "I'm unable to exercise because I'm now injured/too tired and fatigued/in pain" stage.

And so the 'boom or bust' cycle begins.

The solution?

✅ Slow and steady. Pace up sensibly with no huge jumps. Your fitness and the way your tissues ( muscles, tendons) adapt will do so without the crash and burn! Just like our little man above in the image. Small steps will lead you to your goal, and often that goal surprises you.

✅ You will need more time than you think to reach this. If you have a end date as the goal, start your training program at least 12 weeks before the run and not the month before.

✅ If you have no end date, enjoy the small steps to reach your goal! And if these are no steps up for a week or so, it is not the end of the world. Start where you left off and keep on building!

Easy! Find yourself a good physio or exercise physiologist (EP) to set the baselines and progressions in your exercise build.

#boomandbust #exercise #paceit #safeexercise

Yes! The research shows that nearly all pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain resolves after labour. Every woman is different.

It may take a few weeks to months.

It may disappear immediately you walk out of the birthing rooms.

You may require the expert guidance of a physio to get everything well aligned in your hips and pelvic region after the pregnancy changes, and muscles working again in the appropriate way to support the pelvis.

You may need short term activity modification or taping around the pelvis as you return to gentle exercise.

You will need to start your exercise journey post bub by reconnecting with your deep abdominals, pelvic floor and breath.

You will need to find this inner strength before adding impact like running, jumping, or loads such as weight lifting.

But do know that your pelvis will be alright after the miracle of pregnancy and birth!

#pelvicgirldepain #pelvicpain #pregnancypain #pregnancypelvicpain #pregnancybackpain #sijpain #spd #psd #pubicsymphysis #postnatalbackpain #postnatalpelvicpain #thefixprogram #thefixprogramonline #pregnancyphysio