The pelvic tilt is a gentle low back exercise to start with after a back injury: lying face up with knees bent, tighten your belly until your low back presses flat, hold 5 seconds, and repeat 10 times.
Not every exercise is for every patient. The ones meant for you carry a check mark on the home sheet your physician fills out; stick to those, morning and evening, every day, unless the sheet gives you a different schedule.
What are the steps for the pelvic tilt?
- Get set: Lie face up on a firm bed or the floor, knees bent, feet planted.
- Move: Brace your stomach so the small of your back sinks down and touches the surface.
- How many: Hold 5 seconds. Do 10.
How does the pelvic tilt help you recover?
Your stomach muscles are part of the support system for your low back. After a fall or a lifting injury at work, they often stop helping. The pelvic tilt is a safe place for most back injuries to begin retraining them.
For the bigger picture on back pain after an injury, see our page on low back pain.
Which mistakes should you watch for?
- Pushing with your feet or raising your hips off the floor.
- Holding your breath. Let the air out as you press down.
- Squeezing so hard that it hurts.
When should you stop and call us?
Feeling a stretch, a bit of ache, or next-day stiffness is expected and fine. Stop the exercise and call us if you notice any of these:
- Sharp or stabbing pain
- Pain that jumps 2 or more points above your usual and lasts over an hour
- New numbness, tingling or weakness
- Dizziness or a change in your vision
Call 911 right away for chest pain, fainting or trouble breathing.
Why does your exercise log matter?
Each time you finish your exercises, tick the box on your log, and jot your pain number down once a day. The log rides along to every visit. Your technician adds up your days, has you demonstrate one exercise so form can be checked, and enters that tally in the visit note, right beside the treatments.
What to remember
- Your belly does the work; your legs stay quiet.
- Breathe out as you press.
- Five seconds, ten times.
Show us you have it: Lie down and show us one pelvic tilt while you breathe out. If any part is unclear, ask us to go over it again; there is no limit on that.
Other low back exercises in the program
This page belongs to the Gateway Midwest physician-directed physiotherapy program. On Natural Bridge Road, the physician who examined you signs each order, and no treatment runs without a physician on site.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
You do not need a lawyer, a police report or a referral to be seen. Bring your symptoms and we will work out the rest.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Same-day appointments are often available for new accident and injury patients.