Gluteus Medius Exercises
Gluteus medius is a small but important muscle in your buttocks that connects your hip and your pelvis. Its primary role is to help stabilise the pelvis and support movements of the hip joint. When you walk, run, or even just stand on one leg, the gluteus medius keeps your pelvis level and prevents it from tilting to one side.
As most people habitually stand with slightly more of their weight running through one of their legs, imbalances can develop in their gluteus medius muscles over time. One side can become tight and shortened, and the other side can become stretched and weak. In these situations, the pelvis can end up slightly tilted and a torsion can be introduced into the spine leading to back pain.
Exercise 1 - Stand in a more balanced way.
If your job or lifestyle requires you to stand for long periods of time then try to become more aware of how balanced you are when you are standing. In particular, make a point of switching to a more neutral stance where your weight is distributed more evenly over both feet.
This is an excellent 5 minute video which gives some useful pointers about what to watch for when trying to improve your standing posture. It covers foot positioning and spacing and which parts of your feet should take the weight, along with advice about head position and keeping your stance mobile.
Tips for better standing posture.
Exercise 2 - Strengthening Exercise
If you have a longstanding uneven standing position, then you probably also have an imbalance in the strength and tone of your gluteus medius muscles. One side will need strengthening and shortening and the other side will need to be lengthened and relaxed off. Rather than trying to work out which is which, it’s easier just to work on both sides.
Strengthening - Here is a simple and effective exercise to strengthen the gluteus medius muscles. Please note - the video shows someone using a thick band to make the exercise more difficult - to start with you can do the exercise without the band.
Gluteus Medius Strengthening Exercise
Exercise 3 - Stretching Exercise
Stretching - Here is a simple and effective exercise to stretch your gluteus medius muscles.
Gluteus Medius Stretch
As always, if you experience anything more than mild discomfort during these exercises or you are not sure that they are right for you then please discontinue them and seek some guidance.
If you are suffering from a hip, pelvis or back problem then don’t suffer, book an appointment for your problem with me at Osteo Studio.
Cliff Russell, Registered Osteopath
Osteo Studio serving the areas of East Grinstead, Forest Row, Lingfield and the wider West Sussex area.
