The pain expert meets for a coffee today and is immediately asked:
Pelvic obliquity, i.e. an imbalance in the hips. Tell me something about it. Why is it there? What effect does it have? And what solutions do you have?
“Do you have any idea how one can tell that there is a misalignment?”
No.
“It’s very easy to tell from the differently worn ends of the trousers. One is usually more worn than the other. It makes sense, too, because it feels like one leg is longer than the other. Of course it isn’t. It’s only the suspension in the socket in the hip that makes the difference-in adults.”
And what kind of complaints are the result?
“The pelvis is in the middle of our structure, so the effects are noticeable both above and below the pelvis. Back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, headaches but also knee pain and hip osteoarthritis, to name a few.”
What are the causes?
“90% of complaints are the result of limited pelvic function. This means muscles, fascia, ligaments and tendons. Let’s say a person neglects the front of his hip flexor on the right side of the pelvis. Then muscular “shortenings” can develop there and at the same time the fasciae “mat”. It rusts, so to speak. If an attempt is then made to bring the right hip flexor back into extension, it encounters ever greater resistance over time.”
But how does a shortening, an obliquity come about?
“The more one side of the body becomes muscularly “shortened”, the more the opposite side has to exert itself so that a certain movement can be performed. In this case of a shortened right hip flexor, this affects the muscles in the right buttock and lower back. A vicious circle of tension and counter-tension develops, putting enormous pulling forces on the hip joint.”
I see.
“These forces can pull so hard on the joint that the right femoral head moves higher and higher into the socket. The right hip bone is pulled upwards, causing the whole pelvis to tilt to the left. The tilted pelvis makes the leg on the right side appear shortened. But in fact, in the vast majority of cases, apart from the normal variations, the legs are the same length on the right and left.”
Ok, ok. And where does the pain come from with pelvic obliquity?
“In my opinion, the pain is not a direct result of a shortened leg or a crooked posture. Rather, it comes from too much tension in the muscles and fascia.”
“Let’s talk about possible solutions next week”.
Okay, see you in seven days.
“Thanks for the coffee”.
