Groton Gluteus Muscle Weakness Helped by Exercise: Planks

The glutes are for more than just sitting! They must be strong and supportive to keep us, especially us Groton back pain sufferers, walking, balanced, up-right. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office takes gluteal muscle strength seriously, particularly the gluteus medius muscle, one of the foremost supportive spine muscles along with the gluteus maximus, tensor fascia latae, lumbar multifidus, external oblique, erector spinae, and rectus abdominus. So many muscles, so little time to talk about them all. Your Groton chiropractor is concentrating on the gluteal muscles in this article. More to come on the others!

FOCUSING ON WEAK GLUTEUS MUSCLES WITH SIDE PLANK OR BRIDGE

When supportive muscles are weak – gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, multifidus and transverse abdominus – doing exercises that strengthen those while not using others like the erector spinae and tensor fascia latae is desirable. Side bridge while lifting the dominant leg is one exercise that showed itself to be good in activating the gluteal muscle and not the tensor fascia latae muscle. (An aside: Back bridge exercise showed itself helpful in strengthening the multifidus muscle.) (1) One variation of side plank is the side-sling plank. Researchers found that it enhanced gluteus medius strength after injuries. Side-sling plank with hip medial rotation proved itself better for patients with gluteus medius weakness  but  dominant tensor fasciae latae. (2) Side bridge exercises were described to strengthen hip, trunk, and abdominal muscles in addition to being able to challenge trunk muscles without high lumbar compression, an important detail for back pain sufferers like those Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office care for in our Groton chiropractic office. Another variation that was described as being better than the others for strengthening a weak gluteus medius muscle was the side bridge with knee flexion. (3) When glute muscles are weaker than their surrounding muscles, exercises concentrated on triggering the gluteus max and gluteus medius without involving surrounding muscles like the tensor fascia latae, etc., are vital. One easy exercise that triggered the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles while keeping to a minimum tensor fascia latae muscles was the clam exercise. (4) With so many different kinds of exercise possibilities, depend on your Groton chiropractor to help pinpoint which of your supportive muscles are weak and determine which exercises - natrual parts of chiropractic care - are best to strengthen them.

CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Robert Krause on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes care of a patient with degenerative disc disease and back pain who found relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that incorporated exercise.

Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment with Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office today. Don’t just sit on your weak glute muscles. Strengthen them, so they can support you best!