If I was having my gait analised I would personally go to a Podiatrist who specialises in biomechanical problems.

I would get my ankles and lower limbs checked out as a simple thing like not having enough ROM at the ankle joint can cause hip and back problems.

When I had back problems and I got back into training I used a lot of swings I was using a kettlebell but you could use a dumbbell, this will help retrain and strenghten the posterior chain.

Are you sure he said it was the abductors that you had the problem with?
and not adductors which if they are not functioning correctly can add to back problems.

As well as strenghtening the muscles you need to break down any scar and fibrous tissue you may have.

Hope this has been in some way usefull, please keep us informed of how you get on, it might be an idea to post the symtoms of the original back problem with the deads.

good luck John Murphy :wink:

Thanks John

Yes the muscles on the outside of the leg just in case I've got them mixed up.

The original problem was I twisted my pelvis deadlifting, I never felt right doing it, I think it might be down to flexability I'm not sure, it just felt wrong so once my back got better I vowed to never do them again. I'm 6' 3" and it just felt like the floor was too far away. I know people much taller than me who have no problems though.

I was about to start to learn how to do Olympic lifting but obviously this has put a stop to that

Paul

I would still suggest that you get the hip flexors checked out

deads would be good for the posterior chain, what other sport/training are you doing.

Cheers take it easy John :wink:

Hi Paul

An anterior pelvic tilt is USUALLY coupled with tight hip flexors, lumbar erectors, weak external hip rotators/abductors (glute max, med, minimus etc) and weak or poor coordination of the lower abdominal region.

There is usually a direct correlation between anterior pelvic tilt and anterior head carriage (forward head posture)too. Do you notice if you have forward head posture? Because correcting this will in turn, help you correct the anterior pelvic tilt.

The steps here, as im sure your physio has told you is to stretch out the muscles that show up to be short, tight and potentially facilitated muscles and then strengthen the muscles that on assessment show up to be long and weak.

Usually most people train to strengthen these muscles in isolation, which is fine to start with but then you need to integrate the muscles into functional movement patterns also.

Unfortunately it is not always as simple as, but it should give youa good start. Hope it all goes well.

James

James thanks for your post,
Yes what you're saying seems to fit in with what the physio is saying. Lower abdominal muscles, the ones one would tense to stop peeing rather than abbs?

When you say forward head posture, do you mean looking at the floor when I walk, in which case no, I usually look straight ahead. But, the physio got me to stand with my lower back flat against the wall with my feet and shoulder blades also touchiung the wall and I felt it difficult to not look up, it felt difficult to look straight ahead. Would that indicate anything?

Thanks John too, I am stretching and strengthening my hip flexors too

Cheers
Paul

in this case, by lower abdominals, i mean the lower fibres of the rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques that help to posteriorly rotate the pelvis. Although, the deeper inner unit muscles you mentioned may need to be addressed also.

Also, if your hip flexors are tight and you are stretching them, then you actually want to avoid strengthening them as you said in your last message, because this will be counter-productive.

re: forward head posture - if the most prominent part of your cheek bone lies 3cm or more anterior to your sternal notch (little indent at the top of your sternum) then it is likely you have forward head posture. If someone was to view you from the side and a straight line drawn up from the axis of the ankle joint and the mastoid process is anterior of the straight line, then it would appear you have forward head posture.

From what you described with regards to standing against the wall, it appears that you may have an increased thoracic curve, which mostly will be coupled with forward head posture. This is called an 'upper cross sydrome' (Vladimir Yanda - spelling?) and usually accompanies a lower cross syndrome, which is what you have described initially.

James

Ok understood, thanks James

Update / help needed

After spending a small fortune (£600) at the physios and then some more at a chiros (£200) and then another £400 and an Osteo, I'm still in pain.

I'm getting a bit desperate now. I managed to get a job but then lost it because of my back.

I now know the pain is coming from the right SI joint which Ostoes seem to be able to fix but not permanently. The pain down my right leg is gone but now my neck and spine between the shoulders hurts.

I've started at a new Chiro who said he thinks it's actually my left hip that’s twisted round causing the problem not my right but I'm not convinced he's right.

Physio 1 -4 - your posture (forward pelvic tilt) and a bulging disk is the problem
Chiro 1 - I have no idea but give me all your money
Osteo 1 - Right SI joint/twisted sacrum sunken arch on left foot
Osteo 2 - Right SI joint/twisted illium sunken arch on right foot
Chiro 2 - Left SI joint causing left leg to be shorter than right

Has anyone else had this problem who has some advice? Maybe you could recommend someone in the London / Surrey area who can fix it.

My right Si joint hurts, maybe because of a twisted right illium or sacrum or maybe left, no one seems to know.

When I get that put right I get a stiff neck. Then the middle of my back starts to hurt and then my pelvis twists round again and the cycle repeats itself

Any help appreciated

After reading all your aches and pains, all I can say is......poor baby :(

Hi,

I'm new to this board, but genuinely sympathise with you mate. I have been down this same road for the last few years, and spent an absolute fortune :shock:

I was a keen goalkeeper for many years, but had to give up the sport because of my continual lower back/SI joint problems.

Please let me know how you are getting on :?:

I'm going to put up a new post up about my problem, to hopefully get some new ideas.

Thanks Tom, nearly all fixed now, I've sent you a PM with the details

could you post what you did to correct your problems, glad it's fixed.

Have a good un, cheers John Murphy :wink:

Hi John

Well it was a kind of mixture of a few things, maybe time was one of them. I did some pilates and Alexander technique. I strengthened all muscles around my pelvis, adductors as well as abductors, glutes and leg muscles like advised. I found squats helps with light weights and the add and abb machine for hips.

Is it possible that hip flexors can be tight because they're weak, rather than too strong? I felt like one of them (pectineus maybe) was spasming out along with glueus muscles which were definately weak rather than strong. I think now I have weak obliques but I'm trying to work on that.

Anyway thanks for all of the advice you gave me, it pointed me in the right direction (literally :) )

Paul

I'm still thinking about the feet thing. There is a podiatrist near where I live who does gait analysis and shoe inserts but I didn't think it was a good idea because it would have given a false reading if my hips were all out of line. I'll probably go and see him soon now I'm straigtened out.

Drop me a message and I will talk to the guys at work and get an address near of one they recommend. glad all is starting to workout for you.

have a good un, cheers Spud :wink:

I injured my lower back surfing three years ago, have also a twisted pelvis tho not sure if it was like this before the injury or not but has been ever since. My osteo thinks I have a damaged(tho not fully herniated) disc. Should know soon as I've been referred for an MRI by a neurosurgeon ( my problem includes bouts of femoral nerve pain).
Having read some of the comments on this site am now wondering whether the two are connected and indeed whether one is a result of the other. My back frequently (3-4 times per year) goes into spasm and I'm wondering if this is a feature of having a twisted pelvis? Would appreciate anybody's thoughts on this.
Cheers

It is so refreshing to hear that others experience the same problems, get the same "answers" from physios and feel as frustrated as me!

I am a trainee yoga teacher and have experienced lower back pain for years. I suspect that my abs (or lack thereof) are partly to blame but physios have recently told me (like Paul above) that when I walk it is not coming from the "right" muscles and I was told to practically learn to walk again. This proved very difficult and I eventually gave up and went back to doing whatever it was I was doing (but not before getting orthotics for poorly developed arches in both feet - sound familiar to you guys?)

Recently I started experiencing a burning pain in my groin area. Turns out that this is nerve pain (so says my physio today) and is a result of an SI joint problem. I now have exercises to do, some of work are to release my periformis muscle and also to strengthen my gluteus maximus (which it would appear I am hardly ever using). I am supposed to be starting an intensive 200 hr, 4 week teacher training course in a few weeks and am hoping that the exercises plus another session with the physio next week will sort me out. Anyone else experienced these symptoms recently and if so, any advice?

Anna

Hi, I'm 27 yo male. I've had SI Joint pain bilaterally for the past two years. It didn't start until I was on a traction table and when I got off I could hardly walk. Now I have constant SI joint pain, I've been told my sacrum is twisted a little bit and there is some asymmetry in my hips. I have 3 bulging disks which I have been to PT for. Does anyone have any idea of how I could get rid of the SI joint pain?

>Has anyone else had this problem who has some advice? Maybe you could recommend someone in the London / Surrey area who can fix it.

I had that problem for years, I think I had it since childhood. I had many pains, poor posture, weak muscles, shot left leg, etc. I had pain in buttock, right side low back, left side mid back and left neck. Also weak legs, achilles problems, tight leg muscles, abs, etc.

I saw tens of doctors, PTs, manual therapists, etc. Few of them saw something wrong in my pelvis but didn't know what to do to it.

Then finally I found one three years ago. He diagnosed my problem was left SIJ that was out of position. He pushed it back down and all my problems were gone. I guess I had ilium upslip. It is very common with people in buttock/back pain pain.

I have been reading about it ever since. It's been over 3 years and I have been talking to hundreds of peoples who are similar cases as I was. Many had much worse pains. But there are not many who have skills to correct it. They are not in UK. Actually from UK one patient is coming here on next weekend.

Please tell me that it wasn't recently that you were placed on traction!!!

An ilium upslip / downslip / twisted pelvis, pelvis out of alignment etc etc etc all stem from the same thing- in your case it sounds like the traction you had resulted in the above symptoms, but that you msut have had an underlying isuue with you muscles ability to stabilise, and control movement. The original problem with your back was probably due to this, and then the traction resulted in the altered position of your sacro iliac joints, now your left with both symptoms "playing off each other".
There is a very gentle self mobilising technique that you can do - you have to "play" with the positions a little (without assessing it's difficult to advice the right one) but it mimic's a manual technique that a physio would use.

Place a foot on a chair with your back upright - ensure your lower back doesn't over compensate so keen that bottom tucked under tight. then gently lean forwards on the leg on the chair - now dependant on whether it's specifically the left or right causing the main problem (as I have no magic powers of vision), gently rock forwards on and off the bent leg, lower your leg and have a little wlalk about.

Relief of pain - you got the right side - no relief try the other.

Once you have done x3 sets of x10 gentle forwards sways, lie on your side, knees bent, ankles together, (foetal position) but make sure your hip is up in the air and your body isn't twisted - if you do it on a bed drop your top arm off the edge of the bed. Slowly open your knees a little way, keeping the ankles together - like a "clam" don't lift the leg higher than hip width, and dont roll back.

You should feel it in your Glut Med region (around the hip joint) do x10 left and right 3-4 a day fro a few days. self mobilise before each go.

DO NOT FORCE IT, if you ever feel discomfort it should never be above a 5/10 (ten is call an ambulance I am about to die!!) -

See how you get on with that you should feel a difference immediately with the mobilises, and generally better after a few days.

Let me know how you do the SIJ is one of the sportting worlds biggest injury secrets - it is a niggle that haunts many a top class athlete!!

>Please tell me that it wasn't recently that you were placed on traction!!!

I don't understand what you mean. And I didn't have SIJ pain. I had pain in buttock, leg, low back, between blades and neck, also headache.

>An ilium upslip / downslip / twisted pelvis, pelvis out of alignment etc etc etc all stem from the same thing- in your case it sounds like the traction you had resulted in the above symptoms, but that you msut have had an underlying isuue with you muscles ability to stabilise, and control movement. The original problem with your back was probably due to this, and then the traction resulted in the altered position of your sacro iliac joints, now your left with both symptoms "playing off each other".

I had muscle inbalance because twisted pelvis and ilium uplift. When that was corrected by pushing my ilium mack to its place I got tho balance to my pelvis and muscles relaxed and started to work symmetrically. Then I stretched them and it felt good. Before that stretching was about useless.

>There is a very gentle self mobilising technique that you can do - you have to "play" with the positions a little (without assessing it's difficult to advice the right one) but it mimic's a manual technique that a physio would use.

Yes, I am familiar with those self-treatment exercises. I tried many. They didn't help me. As I understand, they give help only to very few. And some get more pain from them.

>Let me know how you do the SIJ is one of the sportting worlds biggest injury secrets - it is a niggle that haunts many a top class athlete!!

That is true. And they have many top class PTs to help them. Do they get help? Not really.

i seem to have a lot of the same problems as you, who helped you

hi can anyone help
i had a car accident in 2005 i was hit from behind by a lorry
since then ihave had pain in my right buttocks,lower back right side ,hip ,front and back of pelvis
my r/leg is now about 1.5 cm shorter than be for
i get spasms in my back( rib area )
i feel like my leg is pushed up and grating all the time ,my pelvis is tilted or twisted backwards and i am in consant pain laying standing sitting walking are all painful and cant do much
before my r.t.a i was very fit and active played sport all the time
i am still waiting to get sorted as doctors seem at a loss at what is causing my pain
after 3.5 years finally had an x-ray stood up and it looks like my elvis is pushed backwards by quite a way
sorry to go on just a bit frusrated
so does anyone know if i will get back to normal or is it for me any help would be great
thanks everyone

Any feedback welcome!

Five years ago I was able to run 10 miles a week without any problems, but after a fall, I tore the cartilage and ligaments in my right knee. I had orthopaedic surgery and after 6 weeks returned to running.

After running the muscles around the right side of my pelvis and hip would completely seize up. I was diagnosed by an osteopath as having a twisted pelvis (caused by the LEFT side twisting back and therefore pushing the right side forwards). The osteopaths treatment works temporarily - 2-14 days max.

I have taken up pilates to try and strengthen my core muscles but I can honestly say that the following day the twisted feeling in my pelvis is exacerbated by the exercises. This really disappoints me as I liked the idea of fixing this thing on my own. I concentrate very hard to perform the exercises as symmetrically as possible and hold my pelvis as level as I can.

I have noticed that the alignment of my right knee and ankle are not great - right knee points inwards when standing (pretty sure this was the case before my knee injury though). I am really trying to correct this when I walk.

Other symptoms include a bruised feeling in the muscles around my lower spine and sacroiliac joints. I stretch in the morning but my muscles seem adamant on staying as stiff as possible making walking uncomfortable.

My flexibility is good and fitness level quite good (not as good as when I was able to run though!)

Does sound like your Glut med isn't working porperly which means that when you squat / run etc your knee points inwards and your hip and bottom sticks out to the side - a little bit like a 1/2 marilyn monroe sway!!!!!
Try lying on your side (bad uppermost) knees bent, keep ankles together keep hip up in the air and open your knee's a little way "like a clam". Don't let your hips roll back or lift your leg past hip height. To make it harder straighten the knees a little.
Where are you based clara?? I can give you some more info if you want, but cannot comment / diagnose fully as I cannot see ya!!

Train hard train happy - if it's going to hurt you might as well enjoy it!!

Hi,

I tried to do what you suggested but, I'm comfused about how to do it though as I am feeling pain in my leg instead of my glutes using you exercise method. Please clarify.

Also, if you have any other suggestions please tell me because, I'm having similar lower back problems, including pelvic twist and shifted spine which resulted from 2 car accidents within 5 years (three years apart, both rear ended)! I do have other sypmtoms but this is the one bugging me at the moment, my leg is numb when I lay in bed and it doesn't matter what position I'm in.

Is there any exercise I can do at home to untwist or strengthen my back and stomache muscles.

Your or anybody's suggestions and/or comments would be greatly appreciated as I am really tired of back problems and making Chiropractors rich. Technically I wouldn't mind if they would actually fix me once and for all, but I'm still attending after 3 years twice weekly.

Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to feel 100%, after all of the doctor visits, etc.? I am having the same problem...Osteopath diagnosed me with a twisted pelvis--right leg was shorter than the left.

I noticed my hip hurting after running a race 4 or 5 months ago, so I rested it a month or so and started slowly running again. It came back right away, this time the right calf also felt "not right" as did the hip area. This happened twice and then my hip/knee/back/bum on my right side were aching. Much much worse when sitting. After 5 treatments (3 or 4 weeks and plenty of $$$ later) with the Osteopath, I am feeling a little better but not 100%. I haven't been given any at home excercises to do other than squeezing a pillow between my legs for 90 seconds at a time 3 times per day for strengthening my hip adductors. Have been swimming on my own, but not sure what I can do in the interim to keep my legs strong.

Sorry for the long post, I am just very frustrated and not sure if the treatment will correct my problem or temporarily fix it. I fear that when I start running/biking again it will come back. Any advise would be very helpful.
Thanks!!

I too had twisted pelvis. It caused many probles from heel pain, back pain to shoulder pain.
I looked for help for 15 years until I found first to diagnose it and to correct it. I was lucky. Before that I had short left leg, scoliosis and bad posture.

It is very hard to find a good expert to give a correct diagnose and to correct the problem. Many experts didn't even know about it, some saw it but couldn't correct it.

Hi i wonder if any one can give me any advise i am a dancer and i have experianced problems with my pelvis for about 2 years im only 18! so shouldnt be having problems at this age. last year i was experiancing lower back pains but carried on dancing after a month or two i was in such bad pain it was difficult getting out of bed i had no idea what to do and went to the hospital they didn't do muchh accept give me some accupunture! after i went to a recomended osteopath and he told me my pelvis was twisted. now i am living in italy and have the same problem is there any excercises i could do to strengthen my pelvis.

I was perfectly fine until I had minor meniscus surgery and Dr. Demento saidin the recovery room that "PT is a waste of $$$". There started what has resulted in SI JOINT DYSFUNCTION (or so they think). OK...I was limping and hobbling thru October into Nov. but I found that I could work out on the eliptical and thought it would help to recover my right knee. Along about that time, and before I went to the gym, my left groin began to hurt like crazy. I credited this pain to overuse because I was lifting my entire leg up to the couch or bed or hassock by the hip joint and not engaging the knee...therefore my right groin gets inflamed (right?). OK...Groin hurts, knee hurts, I'm working out with no pain but still limping. One afternoon I got bored on the eliptical and cranked the incline up all the way to see if it felt like a stairclimber. Five minutes in was the moment I felt the first LOW back ache...and stopped. Holidays came, lifted boxes, decorated house, limped like crazy and had a dull back ache all the while. Went to Ortho guy, said it was hip osteo arth. but didn't address my back. Went to PT. They diagnosed a Rectus Femoris overuse injury and possible pectineal bursitis. Now the groin pain goes to the LEFT side...exactly the same as the right. Oh, BTW, the orthodoc had an MRI which said "possible labrum tear" but then the pain went to the right and it seemed unlikely that I tore BOTH labrums! (I also found out a labrum tear can't be diagnosed without "contrast", which I did NOT have).
SO...now the PT people are treating me for possible pectineal bursitis and guessing it might be an SI joint involved in the mix. My back would get better, I would assume it was alright, I'd do a little something around the house and BAM, it was awful again. The low back pain radiated into the buttocks and was intense on both sides of my Sacral spine. I finally went to a PHYSIATRIST and by now the pain has settled into the left side only (the right is pretty good. He diagnosed me specificlly with SI JOINT DYSFUNCTION with NO SIGN of a disc problem (Thank God!) So I'm off to PT again this week. The groin pain, both sides, worsens as the back pain does. Sitting a long time in any chair, walking more than 20 minutes any twisting will set it off. I can't sit in a soft chair or my husbands bucket seat car. I stayed prone for 2 days this week-end and it helped tremendously plus I used the heat from a hydroculator and take e Aleves at a time. I pray that PT will help.
ANY comments are welcome. Good luck to all. I have never been like this before and I'm refusing to let it depress me. Its been 8 months now.

I have a twisted pelvis which has affected me for 25 years - Seen every type of practitioner under the sun - mostly a waste of time.

Recently got much worse with my back going all the time. Finally one therapist pointed out the torsion in my pelvis (not drop but twist) with right leg longer.

Now following the self help approach of London based Alexander Barrie see www.alexalign.com for last 3 weeks

It works! It works! and I can do it myself! No more endless fees to see quack chiropracters! wonderful

All of you on this page must read his manual 'Correct your pelvis and heal your back pain' it will be the best £15 you have ever spent!

Hi chaps pain free.By pete egoscue is the book to read .Go on any cycling you tube training.john howard bike fit is mint.

Did anyone answer FEDUP2?? I also have a great deal of pain radiating down the side of my thigh (fascia TL?) when doing clamshell to find and strengthen glut med. I am an ex-dancer and current Pilates instructor. My pain started in my mid back around T12 and then moved into my hip. I've been working with pelvic floor and abs ..... but notice that I use low back to compensate ALOT. Trachtelenburg (sp!) positive on right side. My hip is very painful during turned out flexion. Any side lying exercises cause pain in my knee and my quad lumborum is tight and painful. All this is on the right side. And the pelvis is noticably twisted forward on the right.

Despite Pilates mat and reformer exercises, things are getting worse! Hip x-rays show no abnormalities.

Any input or help would be appreciated!