Glutes - A real pain in the butt!
We use our gluteal muscles A LOT!
We use them to walk, we sit on them and they help to stabilize our hips.
The ‘glutes’ consists of 3 muscles.
Gluteus Maximus – the largest of the three, responsible for strength and extending the hip. A real power producer!
Gluteus Medius – positioned on the side of the hip & mainly responsible for stabilizing the hip region.
Gluteus Minimus – lies underneath the gluteus medius and assists with both stabilization and movement.
Together these muscles are very powerful and play an important role in posture and gait (how we walk).
There are generally 2 reasons we get pain in our glutes
They are overused and develop tightness & knots which can result in pain.
The muscles have switched off and become weak & lazy and don't do their job properly.
PROBLEM
This can cause a number of problems for us including:
Back pain - The muscles in our back have to pick up the slack and work harder to accommodate for the lack of work being done by the gluteal muscles.
Tight hamstrings – again, these muscles have to pick up the slack and become overused.
Muscular imbalance – can result in pelvic tilts which an lead to extra pressure on the surrounding joints.
SOLUTION
What are the solutions to these problems you ask?
Well, there needs to be a balance between treating/stretching the muscles and strengthening them so they function properly again.
Your Myotherapist or remedial massage therapist at Berwick Myotherapy may use treatment techniques such as
Deep Tissue Massage
Trigger Point Therapy
Dry Needling
Taking you through some Active/Passive Stretches
Exercise Prescription
Your glutes can easily be treated at home with a massage/spiky ball.
(Berwick Myotherapy sell a range of treatment balls for $10 each).
If you don’t have a spiky ball, you can treat them with a regular tennis ball!
Simply place the massage ball or regular tennis ball on the ground and sit on the ball, slowly rolling it around each side of your glutes, concentrating on those tight spots.
Not sure what to do? Come in and we'll guide you through some simple tricks to get the most out of these self massage techniques.
Let us show you some simple ways to keep your glutes happy!
You can use a foam roller to help treat the gluteal muscles.
A simple glute stretch can go a long way!
To strengthen the glutes you can do some reps of ‘bridges’ -
Lie on your back with your knees up. Gently raise your bottom off the ground, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Resistance band is a good progression for this exercise.
Book an appointment with your Myotherapist or Remedial Massage Therapist at Berwick Myotherapy to have your glutes assessed, treated and a specific treatment schedule tailored just for you.
Stay tuned,
BM
