01/21/2024
How Tight Glute Muscles Impact Our Low Back Tightness and Functionality ?
When a patient presents with low back pain, I always like to work on the areas above and below the affected area. Today we'll be discussing the area below the low back, our gluteal complex
The 4 main muscles we’ll cover today is Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus and Piriformis:
Main function of Gluteus Maximus (yellow) is extension of our hip
- If we're laying face down with our leg bent to 90°, gluteus maximus will contract when we try to lift or "extend" our hips so our heel is going towards the ceiling
Main function of Gluteus Medius (blue) is abduction of our hip
- If we're laying on our right side for example, lifting or "abducting" our left leg away towards the ceiling from our right leg will contract gluteus medius
- Gluteus Minimus (green) acts in “synergy” or alongside gluteus medius to help the abducting motion of our hips
Main function of Piriformis (pink) is external/lateral rotation of our hip
- If we're sitting down, crossing or externally rotating our right leg for example over the left leg will contract piriformis
As seen in the picture below, all 4 muscles mentioned have an attachment to either the sacrum or the pelvis (orange). Both the sacrum and the pelvis are important contributors to the stability and functionality of our low back and hip range of motion
It's important to focus not only on the area of pain (the affected area in this case the low back) but to also treat areas above and below the affected joint. In other words, if our glutes are constantly tight, it will affect the “above” structure (tight/stiff low back) and the “below” structure (tight/stiff hamstrings - back of thighs)
Our glute muscles are engaged numerous times throughout the day from walking, standing, going up/down stairs, positional changes from sitting to standing or vice versa. If the glutes are constantly tight, other muscles (ex - low back) will start to compensate and in turn cause other muscles surrounding the area to feel even more stiff and sore
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As always, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you found this post interesting and helpful
Hyugo
