Quick Information On Force Couples

I talk about anterior pelvic tilt quite a bit and I feel I've explained a dozen times this week why someone shouldn't be stretching their hamstrings in most situations. Here is a some geeky information on the force couples and what needs to be worked on if these force couples are out of balance. This may not make a whole lot of sense to everyone. The human body is an amazing thing. Each situation is different so this is kind of a starting point in most situations.


Anterior Force Couple

Anterior Force (Hip Flexors):
- Psoas
- Iliacus
- Rectus Femoris
- TFL

Posterior Force:
- Spinal erectors (pulling on back side of pelvis)

Anterior Pelvic Tilt (Lumbar Lordosis)

Muscles to strengthen:
- Rectus Abdominus
- External Obliques
- Gluteals
- Hamstrings

Muscles to stretch:
- Psoas
- Illiacus
- Rectus Fremoris
- TFL
- Spinal Erectors

Posterior Force Couple

Posterior Force:
- Gluteals
- Hamstrings

Anterior Force:
- Rectus Abdominus
- External Obliques

Posterior Pelvic Tilt (Thoracic Kyphosis)

Muscles to Strengthen:
- Psoas
- Iliacus
- Rectus Femoris
- TFL
- Spinal Erectors

Muscles to Stretch:
- Rectus Abdominus
- External Obliques
- Gluteals
- Hamstrings

Regular Crunches

Some people know the importance of abdominal strength in helping to address someone in anterior pelvic tilt which in turn can lead to low back pain. But what some of these people don't understand is what a regular crunch can do to actually make their lower back hurt worse than it already does.

Regular crunches shorten the rectus abdominis. This may help with anterior pelvic tilt but in the end will depress the rib cage and pull people into a more kyphotic position at the thoracic vertebrae. This is not a good thing for upper back, neck, and shoulder health. This exaggerated kyphotic position at the mid back can lead exaggerated lordosis position at the lower back over time. Not to good on low back health.

Whats a better alternative to crunches? There is a crunch called a reverse crunch which target the posterior fibers of the external obliques. This allows you to address anterior pelvic tilt without affecting the rib cage. My favorite alternative would have to be the roll out or the plank. There a numerous variations to a plank that include side planks, plank with a weight transfer, or my new favorite the two arm rotating to one arm plank. Throw those swiss ball crunches out of your arsenal. Teach your body stability not flexion and it will thank you greatly.

Compensation Patterns

I get the question quite a bit about what causes compensation patterns in individuals. First lets look at a what a compensation pattern is. It is a way your body compensates or changes its "normal" or meant to be movement pattern.

Take walking for example. Lets say you have tight hip flexors (the muscles on the front part of your hips). This no big deal right? Wrong. This can cause big problems down the rest of the leg not to mention up the chain. Because of these tight hip flexors, anterior pelvic tilt is next on your list of problems, leading to internal rotation of the femur and tibia over time. No big deal again, WRONG. These internally rotated femurs can lead to tight IT bands/adductor's, which in turn can lead to knee/back pain. I won't get into things down the rest of the leg and the problems that can arise in that opposite shoulder and spine.



Now lets say one hip flexor is tighter than the other. Ever hear someone walking from a mile away with one foot pounding into the ground? That leg on the side of the tight hip flexor can end up getting shortened causing it to constantly pound into that group time after time. That is one of many causes of compensation patterns that can arise just because of those tight hip flexors.

You also see quite a few patterns in athletes if work isn't done to iron out these imbalances before they get to far. Take a baseball player swinging a baseball bat. The tourque of the front side leg is going to take a beating if that lead legs exteral rotation isn't up to par.

The Hips Are A Powerful Thing

So how do I fix this? I can tell you how to make it worse. Keep doing what you've been doing!

Is that treadmill walking/running helping your compensation patterns?

Well for the price of only $9.95 you can....kidding! Things such as myofascial release on a foam roller and lots of single leg work can go along ways.