This article includes a 3:02 video walkthrough.
Quick answer
An anterior pelvic tilt means you're used to your pelvis tipping forward, and the telltale sign is your chest flaring. People who perch at their desk or can't seem to relax in a chair often sit this way. The fix: find a neutral pelvis, set the pelvis support without letting it push you into that flare, then work in the 5-degree tilt so your body can relax into the chair.
Step by step
Find neutral. Let your pelvis roll back (posterior), then lift it, stopping before your chest starts to flare (anterior). Practice moving between the two a few times, then hold neutral.
Set the pelvis support in neutral. Sit as deep as you can, then bring the pelvis support forward just until it stops the backward tilt. Let it come to you. Don't let it push you into the flare.
Set the upper back. Bring it toward you, relax into it, and find a balanced position. Make small tweaks forward or back.
Work in the 5-degree tilt. Unlock the tilt (front left knob), lean back, lock it, and come forward until it stops. This helps your body relax and get used to a neutral pelvis.
Also called: anterior pelvic tilt, APT, arched lower back, sway back, chest flare, perching.
Want help getting it dialed in? Book a free Posture Consult with one of our licensed therapists. Consults are educational and product-related only, not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Video transcript
If you have an anterior pelvic tilt, it just means that you're used to your pelvis being forward. And typically, when your pelvis comes forward like that, your chest will kind of flare. That's the big sign of an anterior pelvic tilt. People who perch at their desk, who just can't seem to relax in a chair, often have an anterior pelvic tilt.
So what I want you to try is going into all of the different positions of the pelvis. We're going to start with the posterior pelvic tilt. So just let your pelvis roll backwards, then start to lift it, but stop before you start to flare. The flare is the sign of the anterior pelvic tilt, okay? So do that a couple of times. I'm in the posterior, neutral, and then anterior. Come back to neutral and hold that.
The next thing: we want to set the pelvis support with you in this position and not flared. So get yourself into neutral, sit as deep as you can in the chair, and then we're going to bring the pelvis support towards you. But I want you to be thinking about letting it come to you. Don't let it push you into that flare. You've got to stay here, not here. So bring it forward just until it's preventing you from doing the posterior tilt, and then stop. You don't need to push it forward into that anterior.
Once you're neutral, you'll bring the upper back towards you. When you feel it, just relax into it and then find that balanced position. If you feel like it's a little too far back, bring it forward. If it's too far forward, bring it back. Make your little tweak.
The next thing that's going to be really important for you with an anterior pelvic tilt: we want your body to relax. Typically, you're posturing and in a more tense position when you're in an anterior pelvic tilt. So we're going to use our Decompress Mode, our tilt feature, to help you relax. So I want you to unlock your tilt first, which is the front left knob, push back, and then lock it again. This is bringing you into the five-degree tilt, or Decompress Mode. This is the position that I'd like for you to try working in, to help your body relax into the chair and get used to this neutral pelvis rather than the anterior.
If you need more help, be sure to contact us and set up a posture consult. We'll be happy to help you get it dialed in.