Originally, humans walked on four legs during earlier stages of evolution, and only later evolved to walk upright on two legs. The structure of the hip joint was originally designed to be stable for quadrupedal movement. However, it’s not inherently a stable joint for bipedal walking. Although it’s supported by ligaments and muscles, if the muscles are weak, the hip joints lose stability, which in turn causes the pelvis to become misaligned.
The spine sits on top of the pelvis, and when the spine becomes misaligned, the pelvis inevitably does too. Therefore, in order to understand pelvic misalignment, it’s essential to also understand its relationship with the hips and the spine. It’s not enough to simply “correct” the pelvis on its own. You need to assess how the pelvis interacts with both the spine and the hip joints.
How Can Pelvic Misalignment Be Corrected?
First, we assess the balance and range of motion of the pelvis, hips, and spine. Simply adjusting the pelvis doesn’t guarantee that it will stay aligned. To maintain proper alignment, you need to restore balance with the spine and hips, and also strengthen the weaker muscles through targeted training. This helps prevent the pelvis from becoming misaligned again.
Additionally, in many cases, daily habits or work-related postures are the root cause of pelvic misalignment. In such cases, it’s important to identify which habits are causing the misalignment and work to correct them. If you only focus on treatment without addressing the underlying habits, the misalignment is likely to return quickly.
