How to Fix Lateral Pelvic Rotation (Rotated Pelvis) With Clinical Somatics Exercises

In this article I explain what lateral pelvic rotation is, why we develop it, and the muscular patterns involved. At the end of the article, I list which Clinical Somatics exercises are most effective for fixing the misalignment.

What is lateral pelvic rotation?

Lateral pelvic rotation, also called rotated pelvis, occurs when the pelvis turns to the right or the left, as if you’re doing the Twist. You can also imagine your pelvis rotating like a Lazy Susan.

When the pelvis rotates laterally to the right, the left hip shifts forward and the right hip shifts backward. When the pelvis rotates laterally to the left, the right hip shifts forward and the left hip shifts backward. If chronic muscle tension is keeping you stuck in either of these positions, the misalignment will affect your entire body.

Lateral pelvic rotation can be confused with lateral pelvic tilt, in which one hip is held higher than the other.

It’s also easy to confuse lateral pelvic rotation with pelvic torsion (see image below). Pelvic torsion, also called twisted pelvis, occurs when one coxal bone is rotated forward (anterior pelvic rotation or tilt) while the other coxal bone is rotated backward (posterior pelvic rotation or tilt).

To confuse matters more, it’s common for lateral pelvic rotation to occur along with lateral pelvic tilt or pelvic torsion, or for all three to occur together!

Lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis) may occur along with or be a causative factor in the following conditions:

• Misalignment and pain in the hips, knees, and ankles
• Pronation in one food and supination in the other
• Functional leg length discrepancy (lateral pelvic tilt)
• Lower back pain
• Idiopathic scoliosis
• Pelvic torsion
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction and pain
• Iliotibial band syndrome
• Snapping hip syndrome

The patterns of muscle tension that cause lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)

The major muscle groups driving the pattern of lateral pelvic rotation are the obliques, the extensors of the lower back and hip, and the hip rotators. If my descriptions of the muscular patterns below get your brain tangled up, just scroll down to the last part of the article, where I tell you which exercises to practice depending on which direction your pelvis is rotated!

The internal and external obliques rotate the spine to either side. The external obliques rotate the spine to the opposite side; so, when your external obliques on your right side contract, you twist to the left.

The internal obliques do the opposite. They rotate the spine to the same side; so, when your internal obliques on your right side contract, you twist to the right.

The right external obliques and the left internal obliques work together to rotate your spine to the left. The left external obliques and the right internal obliques work together to rotate your spine to the right.

If you were to stand up and explore twisting to either side to feel these muscles contract, you’d likely keep your pelvis in place and turn your rib cage and shoulders to the right and left. But in the pattern of lateral pelvic rotation, the pelvis turns to one side or the other while the rib cage and shoulders can remain facing straight ahead.

So as the pelvis turns to the right (right hip behind, left hip forward), it is a similar action to turning the rib cage and shoulders to the left, because the upper spine is rotating toward the left relative to the pelvis. The right external obliques and the left internal obliques contract in this position. I am going to refer to this as right pelvic rotation for the remainder of the article.

And as the pelvis turns to the left (left hip behind, right hip forward), it is a similar action to turning the rib cage and shoulders to the right, because the upper spine is rotating toward the right relative to the pelvis. The left external obliques and the right internal obliques contract to make this happen. I am going to refer to this as left pelvic rotation for the remainder of the article.

Now let’s discuss the extensors of the lower back and hip. When the extensors of the lower back contract, they arch the lower back. When the extensors of the hip contract, they bring the hip and leg backward. In lateral pelvic rotation, both of these actions are happening on the side of the body in which the hip is shifted behind.

Extensors of the lumbar spine include the quadratus lumborum, erector spinae group, transverospinalis group, intertransversarii, interspinalis, and latissimus dorsi. Extensors of the hip that tend to be contracted in lateral pelvic rotation are the gluteus maximus and medius.

Rotation of both hip joints is always present in lateral pelvic rotation. In right pelvic rotation, the external rotators of the right hip are contracted (this includes the gluteus maximus and iliopsoas) while the internal rotators of the left hip are contracted (this includes muscles of the inner thigh, inner hamstrings, gluteus medius and minimus, and tensor fascia latae). In left pelvic rotation, the external rotators of the left hip are contracted while the internal rotators of the right hip are contracted.

What if the driving force in the rotation of the pelvis isn’t coming from the core (internal and external obliques), or one hip pulling backward, or the hip joints rotating? It’s also possible that lateral pelvic rotation can be driven by the hip that is shifted forward. In this case, it’s likely that there’s a downward pulling action occurring on that side, pulling the rib cage closer to the hip and shifting it forward. The muscles involved in this action are the obliques, iliopsoas, and rectus abdominis.

Why do we develop lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)?

Why do our core and hip muscles become tight enough to cause lateral pelvic rotation? And why does it happen to some people and not others?

The movement and level of contraction of our muscles is controlled by our nervous system. The way that our muscles move, and how much we keep them contracted, is actually learned over time by our nervous system.

Our nervous system learns certain ways of using our muscles based on how we choose to sit, stand, and move each and every day. Our nervous system notices the postures and movements that we tend to repeat, and it gradually makes these postures and movements automatic so that we don’t have to consciously think about them.

This learning process—that of developing what we refer to as muscle memory—allows us to go through the activities in our daily lives easily and efficiently. Unfortunately, if we tend to repeat unnatural postures or movements, our nervous system will learn those too. Our automatic neuromuscular learning process doesn’t discern what is good or bad for us—it just notices what we tend to repeat, and makes it automatic.

So if you carry your bag on the same side every day, hold your child on the same hip, kick a ball with the same leg, or sit at your desk in the same way—your nervous system can easily habituate the pattern of holding your pelvis rotated to one side or the other.

As your nervous system gradually learns to keep your muscles tight, gamma loop activity adapts. This feedback loop in your nervous system regulates the level of tension in your muscles. As your brain keeps sending the message to contract your muscles, gamma loop activity adapts and starts keeping your muscles tight all the time.

Meanwhile, your proprioception (your internal sense of your body position) adapts so that you’re not aware of the increased level of tension in your muscles. Your proprioception also adapts to your body position; so as your nervous system gradually starts holding your pelvis in a rotated position, it will feel to you as though it is aligned correctly.

The most effective Clinical Somatics exercises for fixing lateral pelvic rotation (rotated pelvis)

First, if you’re not familiar with pandiculation and why it’s the most effective way to release chronic muscle tension, I recommend that you read What is Pandiculation?.

Second, it’s very important that you read the article How to Even out the Imbalances in Your Body. This article gives essential advice that you should follow when tailoring your daily Clinical Somatics practice to address the imbalances in your muscular patterns—which are significant in lateral pelvic rotation.

Below I’ve listed the exercises from the Level One & Two Courses that are most helpful for releasing the pattern of muscle contraction present in lateral pelvic rotation. This is too many exercises to practice every day, so pick and choose depending on which exercises you feel the most benefit from. If you’re just starting your Clinical Somatics practice, be sure to read Developing Your Own Daily Practice.

First, here are the exercises that you can practice the same way whether you have right or left pelvic rotation:

LEVEL ONE COURSE:

Arch & Flatten
Iliopsoas Release: Your iliopsoas is likely tight on both sides, but if you find a significant imbalance, you can spend more time and focus working with the tighter side.
Washcloth

LEVEL TWO COURSE:

Pelvic Clock
Proprioceptive Exercise 1
Proprioceptive Exercise 2
Standing Hamstring Release
Hip Directions

If you have right pelvic rotation, I suggest practicing the following exercises more or only on the side I’ve described below. You’ll get more clarification on this approach in the article How to Even out the Imbalances in Your Body. (Scroll down for instructions for left pelvic rotation.)

LEVEL ONE COURSE:

Back Lift: Practice this with your head turned to the left, so you’re lifting up your right leg.

Side Curl: This exercise releases the obliques, so it’s important to explore it with both sides. But if you tend toward arching your back or standing up straight, you might feel more benefit from practicing this with the right side (lying on your left side, curling up and releasing down with your right obliques). If you tend toward rounding forward, you may feel more benefit from practicing this with the left side (lying on your right side, curling up and releasing down with your left obliques).

One-sided Arch & Curl and Diagonal Arch & Curl: Explore these and notice the differences between your two sides. If one side feels more challenging and less coordinated than the other, focus your time and attention on practicing the more challenging side.

Hip Rotation: Practice the internal hip rotator release (knee lowering out to the side) with your left leg. Practice the external hip rotator release (legs crossed) with your left leg crossed over your right, knees lowering down to the left.

LEVEL TWO COURSE:

Quadriceps Releases: Your quads on both sides can be tight in lateral pelvic rotation, but explore this exercise to find out if one side feels tighter than the other.

Gluteal Release: To release your glutes on your right side, practice this exercise with your left leg stretched down straight, lifting and lowering your right knee.

Diagonal Curl: If you tend toward arching your back and standing up straight, start by lying on your left side, releasing out to the right. If you tend toward rounding forward, and if you feel you’re pulling down toward your left hip, try practicing this exercise lying on your right side and releasing out to the left. Regardless of your pattern, it is worthwhile to explore this on both sides!

Iliotibial Band Release: The left iliotibial band is likely to be tighter than the right, so practice this by lifting and lowering the left leg.

If you have left pelvic rotation, I suggest practicing the following exercises more or only on the side I’ve described below.

LEVEL ONE COURSE:

Back Lift: Practice this with your head turned to the right, so you’re lifting up your left leg.

Side Curl: This exercise releases the obliques, so it’s important to explore it with both sides. But if you tend toward arching your back or standing up straight, you might feel more benefit from practicing this with the left side (lying on your right side, curling up and releasing down with your left obliques). If you tend toward rounding forward, you may feel more benefit from practicing this with the right side (lying on your left side, curling up and releasing down with your right obliques).

One-sided Arch & Curl and Diagonal Arch & Curl: Explore these and notice the differences between your two sides. If one side feels more challenging and less coordinated than the other, focus your time and attention on practicing the more challenging side.

Hip Rotation: Practice the internal hip rotator release (knee lowering out to the side) with your right leg. Practice the external hip rotator release (legs crossed) with your right leg crossed over your left, knees lowering down to the right.

LEVEL TWO COURSE:

Quadriceps Releases: Your quads on both sides can be tight in lateral pelvic rotation, but explore this exercise to find out if one side feels tighter than the other.

Gluteal Release: To release your glutes on your left side, practice this exercise with your right leg stretched down straight, lifting and lowering your left knee.

Diagonal Curl: If you tend toward arching your back and standing up straight, start by lying on your right side, releasing out to the left. If you tend toward rounding forward, and if you feel you’re pulling down toward your right hip, try practicing this exercise lying on your left side and releasing out to the right. Regardless of your pattern, it is worthwhile to explore this on both sides!

Iliotibial Band Release: The right iliotibial band is likely to be tighter than the left, so practice this by lifting and lowering the right leg.