Also called hyperlordosis, or a 'stuck-out' lower back
Anterior pelvic tilt
Anterior pelvic tilt is the pelvis rotating forward, which drags the lower back into a deeper curve than it should carry. It is the most common postural pattern in people who sit for a living, and it is one of the more fixable ones — the muscles involved respond to a few minutes of the right work most days.
How to tell if you have it
- Standing side-on in a mirror, your lower back shows a pronounced inward curve and your backside sits noticeably out behind you.
- Your hips sit forward of your knees when you stand relaxed — the thing the posture test measures.
- The front of your hips feels tight when you stand up after a long stretch of sitting.
- Your lower back aches after standing still for a while, more than after walking.
The free posture test measures this from a side-on photo — look at the Hips over knees score. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Why it happens
- Hours of sitting hold the hip flexors in a shortened position until that becomes their resting length.
- The glutes spend that same time doing nothing, and get weaker at the one job that would rotate the pelvis back.
- Deep abdominal muscles disengage, so nothing counterbalances the pull at the front of the pelvis.
- A small amount of tilt is normal anatomy and varies between people. The point is the direction of change, not hitting a number.
The exercises that address it
All bodyweight, all doable in the space beside a desk. Each one is in the app with a spoken instruction and a timer.
- 01
Hip Flexor Stretch
Directly lengthens the muscles that sitting shortened. This is the half of the equation most people skip.
- 02
Glute Bridge
Strengthens the glutes while stretching the hip flexors at the same time — the two halves of the fix in one movement.
- 03
Dead Bug
Teaches your deep core to hold the spine still while your limbs move, which is exactly the control that is missing.
- 04
Pelvic Tilt
The smallest possible version of the correction, done lying down. It builds the awareness you need before the standing work means anything.
- 05
Plank
Builds the endurance to hold the position for longer than a rep — posture is an endurance problem, not a strength one.
How long it takes
Tightness usually eases within two to three weeks of daily work. The change in how you stand without thinking about it takes longer — most people notice it somewhere between six and twelve weeks, because you are changing a default, not a capability.
When to see a clinician instead
Nothing on this page is a substitute for an assessment. Skip the exercises and book an appointment if any of this applies:
- Pain that radiates down a leg, or numbness, tingling or weakness anywhere below the waist.
- Lower back pain that wakes you at night or is unrelated to what you were doing.
- Any of this following a fall, an accident, or a new injury.
Questions
- Can you fix anterior pelvic tilt permanently?
- You can change it, and the change holds as long as the habits behind it change too. Stretching alone tends not to stick, because the tightness is a response to how you spend your day. Pairing the stretching with glute and core strengthening — and standing up more often — is what makes it last.
- How long does it take?
- Two to three weeks for the tightness, six to twelve weeks for your unconscious standing posture. Anyone promising a fix in days is describing a temporary change in how you feel, not a change in how you stand.
- Is anterior pelvic tilt bad for you?
- A degree of anterior tilt is normal and varies between healthy people. It becomes worth addressing when it comes with lower back discomfort, tight hips, or a lower back that aches from standing still. Absent symptoms, it is a variation rather than a problem.
- Should I stretch my hamstrings?
- Usually not as the first move. In anterior pelvic tilt the hamstrings are often already lengthened by the pelvis rotating forward, and stretching them further does not address the cause. The tight side is at the front of the hips.