Are your gluts working properly?

Are your glutes working properly?

This may sound like an odd question, but finding out the answer may be the key to resolving your low back pain, knee pain or hip/buttock pain.

You might say, how would I know if my gluts aren’t working properly? You can do some very simple tests yourself at home though. Try standing on 1 leg in front of a mirror, doing a single leg squat or jumping up & landing on 1 leg. Is there any difference between the two sides in terms of ability to do it, pain, balance, control of the pelvis? If so, this might indicate a gluteal muscle dysfunction.

Where are the gluteal muscles?

The gluteal muscles are located on the outer & rear aspect of the pelvis, essentially making up the padding of your bottom! As well as producing power for extending the leg backwards, these muscles provide stability around the pelvis during any weight-bearing activity, such as simply standing & walking. The demand on these gluteal muscles is greatly increased with any impact activity or exercise such as racket sports, running, football, rugby, basketball, netball, hockey……… basically anything that involves putting load through your leg!

Optimal function & strength of your gluteal muscles, and therefore stability of your pelvis is vital to ensure that other structures in the lower back, hip and lower leg are not subjected to excess stress & strain. Thus, any reduction in function & strength of these gluteals can commonly lead to all sorts of musculoskeletal problems, most notably low back pain, knee pain & hip/buttock pain.

An assessment of the strength & control of your gluteal muscles is just one of a battery of tests that your Chartered Physiotherapist will undertake during your assessment. However, identifying this may be the key to unlocking the cause of a variety of musculoskeletal pains and form an important part of your rehab programme back to full function & sporting activity.

Call 01202 725090 today to book an assessment with Andrew Cracknell, one of our Chartered Physiotherapists.