If you’ve ever felt like your body wasn’t functioning quite correctly… Maybe it felt unstable, disconnected, like it just wasn’t strengthening they way you expected. Or maybe like your two sides feel like they belong to two different people… It could be that the connection between your rib cage and your pelvis, is the issue. When your body does not commuicate and co-ordinate properly, your ability to move, stand tall, feel stable and to strengthen effectively is impeded. But why? Integration and co-ordination requires your fascia, nervous system, and upper and lower body to work together. That is why the rib cage and pelvis connection is so important!
Want to read the transcript instead?
here it is…
The Rib Cage and Pelvis Connection
The System Behind Posture and Stability
Have you ever felt like your body is unstable…not balanced or disconnected?
Like you can’t quite hold your posture, or one side of your body feels totally different to the other, or your core doesn’t feel like it’s doing what it’s supposed to?
Maybe you’ve tried strengthening or stretching… maybe you’ve worked on your posture… But it still doesn’t feel right.
What if the issue isn’t strength… but coordination?
Hi,
I’m Alexis Weidland, osteopath at BlossomingMe and Healthy Learning Lounge.
In the last video, we spoke about the pelvis as the foundation of your body.
Today, we’re building on that.
Because your pelvis doesn’t work alone. 👉 It works together with your rib cage.
And this relationship is what drives:
- posture
- stability
- movement
- and even how your body manages load and pressure
Think of your rib cage and pelvis like two ends of a system.
Your pelvis sits at the base. Your rib cage sits above. And between them is your:
- diaphragm
- abdominal wall
- and deeper stabilising system
👉 Together, they form what we call a pressure system.
WHAT IS A PRESSURE SYSTEM
Now, this might sound complex—but it’s actually very practical.
Your body uses pressure to:
- support your spine
- stabilise your body
- and transfer force when you move
Think of your torso like a canister.
- The diaphragm sits at the top
- The pelvic floor sits at the bottom
- The abdominal wall wraps around
When everything is working well… 👉 pressure is created evenly inside that system
That pressure helps:
- reduce strain on joints
- distribute load efficiently
- and give your body a sense of support
But if that system isn’t coordinated…
👉 pressure becomes uneven
👉 or leaks from the system
And when that happens… Joints are less supported, so your body has to find stability somewhere else.
👉 This system only works well when your rib cage and pelvis are aligned and moving together.
But for most people…
That relationship becomes disrupted. Because of:
- posture habits
- stress
- breathing patterns
- previous injuries
Your rib cage and pelvis stop working together. And instead… 👉 They start working against each other.
This might show up as:
- rib cage restriction, twisting, flaring upward
- pelvis tilting forward or tucking under
- excessive arching or flattening of the spine
And when that happens… Your pressure system can’t function properly.
Now this is where it gets really interesting.
Your diaphragm – the main muscle you use to breathe – attaches into your rib cage.
When you inhale:
- your diaphragm moves down
- your rib cage expands
But this movement is meant to be balanced by what’s happening below.
👉 Your pelvic floor should respond
👉 Your abdominal system should coordinate
WHEN IT’S NOT WORKING
If your rib cage is restricted, twisted, lifted or flared… Your diaphragm can’t move effectively.
If your pelvis is tilted or unstable… Your pelvic floor can’t respond properly.
👉 And your body loses that balanced pressure system
And this is where compensation really takes over.
If your diaphragm isn’t functioning well… Your body might:
- overuse your neck muscles
- grip through your shoulders
- rely on your lower back for stability
If your pelvis isn’t responding well… You might:
- brace excessively
- feel like you can’t “switch your core on”
- or feel unstable during movement
So again…
👉 It’s not just about strength
💡 It’s about how different parts of your body are coordinating
LOAD TRANSFER
Now let’s bring this into movement. Every time you:
- Walk
- bend
- lift
- reach
- carry something
Your body has to transfer load. And it does this through your rib cage ↔ pelvis connection
When everything is functioning well:
- force moves efficiently through your body
- your muscles share the load
- movement feels smooth and supported
But when this system isn’t working:
👉 load gets dumped into certain areas
This often leads to:
- lower back strain
- hip overload
- neck and shoulder tension
- It can also lead to pain and discomfort in organs within the pelvis
Because those areas are trying to compensate.
Let’s make this really practical.
Think about picking something up off the floor.
If your system is working well:
- your breath supports the movement
- your body stabilises naturally
- the load is shared
But if it’s not working well:
👉 your lower back takes the load
👉 your shoulders tense
👉 your movement becomes inefficient
And over time… 👉 that’s when pain and strains start to develop
This is often when people say:
- “My back always tightens when I stand”
- “My shoulders don’t relax”
- “My core just doesn’t feel like it’s working properly”
- “I don’t feel as stable or balanced as I used to”
Now here’s a piece that’s often missed.
Your breathing is not just about oxygen.
👉 It’s directly linked to how your body stabilises.
Breathing and the expansion through the ribs should be a 360-degree movement
Your rib cage should expand:
- forward
- sideways
- and slightly into your back
💡And your diaphragm should move in coordination with your pelvis.
But when breathing becomes:
- shallow
- Upper chest-dominant
- or restricted
👉 your rib cage lifts or flares or twists
👉 your pelvis loses connection
👉 your system becomes less stable
It changes how your rib cage moves. And that affects everything below.
So instead of thinking:
“I need to strengthen my core”
Start thinking:
“Is my system working together?”
The Fatigue Connection:
And this doesn’t just affect pain.
👉 it affects energy
Because when your body isn’t stabilising efficiently… it has to work harder!
➡️Muscles overwork
➡️Breathing becomes inefficient
➡️Your nervous system stays more activated
Over time, this can contribute to:
- fatigue
- reduced endurance
- feeling like your body just doesn’t have capacity
In the last video, we spoke about:
- pelvic tilt
- asymmetry
- positioning
Now you can start to see… 👉 how that directly influences your rib cage
And how your rib cage then influences everything above and below it.
When this system isn’t working well, you might notice:
- difficulty holding posture
- feeling unstable or weak
- recurring tightness
- fatigue with standing or movement
- breathing that feels restricted or shallow
So instead of chasing symptoms…
👉 start looking at how your body is functioning as a system
Because when the rib cage and pelvis start working together… Everything becomes more efficient.
Start by noticing:
- how you breathe
- whether your rib cage feels lifted, stuck, or relaxed
- whether your body feels stacked and aligned well or off kilter and disconnected
You don’t need to fix everything at once.
👉 Awareness is the first step
In the next video, we’re going to take this further.
We’ll look at how this system plays out in real movement—
especially walking, posture, and how pain develops over time.
And if you’re ready to start working with your body in this way…
My Rib Cage Reset mini course takes you through simple, guided ways to reconnect this system.
Link is below if you’d like to explore that.
Because when your body starts working together… 👉 everything feels easier.
So that’s it for today.
Did it raise any questions or aha moments? If so, I’d love to hear them. So please put those in the comment section. I love answering questions. I hope you found today useful. And if you know someone who could use this information, please share it. Remember to comment, like and subscribe.
Until next time and in health,
Bye for now.
Click the Button Below for my RibCage Reset min-course
Interested in further reading?
Book appointment here
(pick 1- Turramurra location; 2- osteopath; 3- select date you’re looking for, then click select clinician.
Then, choose initial, follow up or our special Foot and Posture Assessment for a whole body assessment and treatment plan to determine if treatment is right for you)
About Blossoming Me
BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage.
Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.
**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.