Optimise your running technique by realigning your pelvis

This exercise is brought to you by Spiraldynamik

The pelvis and hip joints are crucial to maintaining an upright body posture in us bipeds. A lack of flexibility in these areas can often lead to back and knee pain or a poor posture – particularly for runners. That's why it is important to stretch the hip flexors and extensors, the abductors and adductors as well as the inner and outer rotators. The goal is to maintain a straight pelvis as the hip extends by engaging the stomach and core muscles to stabilise the pelvis. 

Imagine your pelvis as a bowl filled with water: if the pelvis isn’t straight – i.e. it tilts forward when standing – the contents will spill out at the front. A tight psoas causes the pelvis to tilt forwards which reinforces the natural lumbar lordosis. A tight hip flexor draws the sit bones more towards the hollow of the knee which negatively impacts the natural posture of the lower back. Typical symptoms include tight hip flexors, a hollow back, back pain, a 'sagging stomach’ and weak pelvic floor. The straddle pose and seated forward bend can help to correct this. 

Start in a comfortable sitting position. Slide your hands underneath your pelvis to locate your two sit bones. They are very pointy and are easy to feel with your fingers. Try to draw your belly button inwards. Do you feel how your pelvis rolls inwards? The sit bones will be tilted towards the front edge of the mat as the lower back roundens. Now, try the opposite direction. Create a hollow in your back. The sit bones should tilt backwards and feel wider apart. 
Spend a moment rolling back and forth between these positions. Then, gradually make smaller movements until you come to a stop. Sit up, keeping your sit bones straight. They will be very easy to locate with your hands in this position. Hold this position and remove your hands. Draw yourself upright from within. Imagine your sit bones are grounded like roots and you are growing up from them.
Place the soles of your feet together in front of you. Then, move your right leg diagonally to the side. Guide the inside of your thigh outwards as far as you can go, keeping the knee and foot facing straight up. Now, stretch the left leg out too. Only stretch your legs out as far as they will go while keeping everything upright. Less is more here.

Tip – This exercise can be made slightly easier by sitting on a rolled-up mat to begin with. This helps to maintain an upright position. If you are able to relax and sit upright for longer using a mat, you should always use it. 

Note no. 1 – Proceed with caution if you have intervertebral disc problems! A tight sciatic nerve causes the lower back to bend which can result in an acute slipped disc.

Note no. 2 –  If you have a rounded upper back, ensure that you keep it elongated throughout. Pay attention to your range of motion in the event of knee or hip arthrosis and sit higher up if needed or don’t spread the legs as wide if you have pes anserinus pain (knee pain on the inside). 

Objective: the straddle pose focuses on the interplay between the leg muscles, pelvic alignment and lumbar spine. The same formula applies in both directions: the leg muscles must be flexible to achieve a straight pelvis and lumbar spine. It’s in your interest to have flexible hip joints, supple leg muscles and a strong back. 

Our book recommendation:

Medical Yoga 2 - TRIAS Verlag
Dr. med. Christian Larsen, Christiane Wolff, Eva Hager-Forstenlechner
https://shop.thieme.de/Medical-Yoga-2/9783432100906

www.spiraldynamik.com

Photo: zvg