The muscles in your buttocks, known as your glutes, consist of three distinct muscles: the gluteus Maximus, medius, and minimus. Predictably, the gluteus Maximus is the largest among these three, while the medius and minimus are comparatively smaller. However, despite their smaller size, these latter two muscles are equally significant. All three muscles are essential for your everyday mobility, maintaining posture, and influencing the positioning of your lower back and pelvis.
What happens when your glutes are weak?
If your Glutes are weak or inactive they cannot hold your pelvis in the right position or help maintain correct alignment of your femur. This can cause the wrong muscle groups to be “switched on” and over activate to help compensate for the lack of strength in the Glutes.
5 best exercises to strengthen your glutes
- Squats: Squats are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your glutes. They’ll target all three glute muscles.
- Lunges: Lunges are a fabulous way to target your glutes. You can add weights for more resistance.
- Step-ups: They’ll target your glutes and hamstrings. You can add more weights for more resistance.
- Glute Bridges: Glute bridges are a great way to target glutes and core.
- Clam: Clams are a good exercise for targeting glutes, and hip abductors.
How do your glutes cause lower back pain?
When your glutes are excessively tight or weak, it can have adverse effects on your mobility and posture, potentially resulting in discomfort. The strength of your glutes is so influential that, aside from experiencing discomfort in your back, you may also sense it in your hips, knees, or even your feet.
What causes glute pain?
- Too much sitting, especially if you work long hours in a desk job. The pandemic played a big role into this. We got accustomed to being comfortable in our own work environment. Take a look at our blog post on Office Ergonomics, to help assess with working in a remote position.
- Excessive training or overexertion of the gluteal muscles, often associated with sports, can result in the tightening of the glutes. This can potentially evolve into a persistent and painful issue over the long term.
Identifying the precise source of glute and lower back discomfort can be challenging without a professional evaluation. We encourage you to reach out to our office today for an assessment by Dr. Wendy Brackeen. This assessment will aid in pinpointing the root cause. While you may suspect that overworked glutes are the issue, it’s possible that your pain and mobility issues are actually linked to weak glutes, potentially resulting in piriformis muscle pain.
What is Piriformis
Piriformis syndrome refers to a condition where the piriformis muscle, situated in the buttock area, experiences spasms leading to discomfort. Additionally, this muscle’s contractions can agitate the adjacent sciatic nerve, resulting in sensations of pain, numbness, and tingling along the posterior leg and extending into the foot—akin to the sensations associated with sciatic pain.
Determining which muscle is aggravated can be a challenge. We recommend making an appointment with Dr. Wendy Brackeen to go over the best Treatment solutions to help release the tension that is being built up in your muscles. We want you to feel your best. Here at Attuned Vitality chiropractic and wellness Dr. Wendy Brackeen will show you simple stretches to better your everyday tasks.
How to be Free From Glute Pain
Receiving a Glute massage not only will help with better range of motion in your lower half, but it’ll decrease pain relief , help increase circulation, and it’ll be a faster muscle recovery.
Massage – Massage therapy can be an efficient way to easy back pain and regain your range of motion.
Similar to how the back depends on the glute muscles in your buttocks for various crucial actions such as walking, running, and transitioning between sitting and standing, your legs also rely on these muscles. When the glutes fail to function effectively in the lower body, it can lead to symptoms like leg pain.
Range of Motion – When the muscles in your glutes weaken due to inactivity or become inflamed due to excessive use, infection, or irritation, it can impede your muscle mobility. Tight gluteal muscles can cause discomfort and restrict your overall range of movement.
To alleviate this tightness, glute massages can be beneficial. Working with a physical therapist or a massage therapist, here at attuned vitality chiropractic and massage you can receive targeted muscle stretching, gradually restoring your range of motion while enhancing strength and circulation.
Athletic Performance – Athletes collaborate with Athletic trainers to engage in exercises that target the gluteal muscles and other lower body muscles. They also seek guidance from massage therapists for the purpose of stretching and massaging these substantial muscles located within the buttocks, lower back, and upper legs. Incorporating massage into their routine can contribute to improved athletic performance and a swifter recovery process following injuries.
Pregnancy – Prenatal massages primarily aim to promote overall muscle relaxation, and among the various areas, a buttock massage can be especially beneficial for expectant mothers. By soothing and gently stretching these muscles, it can contribute to improved posture and reduced overall discomfort during pregnancy.
Massage – Massage therapy focused on the buttocks is an effective method for muscle relaxation, enhancing blood circulation, and strengthening the gluteal muscles. Skilled physical therapists and massage therapists can assist in alleviating symptoms and enhancing the overall strength of these muscles.
Chiropractic – Dr. Wendy Brackeen, who possesses more than 20 years of experience as both a Chiropractor and an Athletic Trainer, has a deep understanding of how the body functions. Her expertise enables her to effectively address the discomfort you may be experiencing, using a combination of chiropractic care and her extensive knowledge of the body’s mechanics.