Back Pain Exercise: Relieves Tight Glutes
Place the BALL 12 on the floor and sit on it with one side of your buttocks. Place the leg on the side to be treated on top of the other legs thigh. Move slowly on the spot and notice any specific tender points.
Spend around 15 seconds on the spots where you feel the most pain and breathe calmly and deeply. Include the sides of your glutes by turning slightly to the side.
Tip: during this back pain exercise, push your shoulders back and your chest out. That way, you also get to perform a stability exercise for your shoulder girdle. Is the pain too severe? Then perform the exercise with the BLACKROLL®.
Treating Lower Cross Syndrome In Apex Nc
When treating LCS, we want to focus on the root cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. Since our muscles work as a unit and not individually, one muscle becoming inhibited causes a chain reaction and other muscles are forced to overcompensate. To effectively treat LCS, you must focus on loosening the hip flexor muscles like the iliopsoas and erector spinae muscles and then begin to strengthen the glutes and abdominals. Loosening the tight hip flexors will alleviate any pain and discomfort associated with LCS, which in turn puts the body in a healthy state in order to strengthen the weakened part of the cross without the risk of injury.
In order to strengthen the glutes and abdominals effectively, you must focus on the deep stabilization muscles. A great exercise to perform to isolate these muscles is the glute bridge. This exercise targets your glutes and other muscles that are meant to hold your body upright, which strengthens the muscles associated with good posture. The glute bridge also helps in activating and strengthening your core stabilizer muscles, which are designed to help support the spine. We like to utilize this exercise because it is great for people who are unable to perform more complex exercises, such as the squat.
Call our team at Omega Chiropractic Center – Sports Performance & Nutrition in Apex at today to schedule an appointment.
Warning Signs Your Glutes Are Inhibited
Notice I didnt say weak. I hate the word weak. The word itself carries many negative emotions and connotations of what weakness means. Words matter in the pain and performance game. Choose wisely how you speak to people.
Tell a person in pain they are weak and they feel weak. News flash! People in pain already feel weak and vulnerable. Tell an athlete they are weak and they immediately get defensive and want to go harder, faster, stronger and longer. Thats the complete opposite direction from where they probably need to be going. Regress to progress. Going harder on inhibited muscles just makes them even more inhibited! #beastmode has the opposite effect of its intended use.
A post shared by Perry Nickelston on Apr 25, 2016 at 12:54pm PDT
The body doesnt grant what you ask, but how you ask it. Its not about going harder, but going smarter.
Potential strength is always there, but the brain wont give it to you if it feels vulnerable. The brain is always asking itself, Is giving you more strength right now a good a idea? If the answer is no you aint getting it no matter how much you want it. So it inhibits muscular power and activation to protect itself.
Whats the role of the glutes: Hell, just about everything! They are the powerhouse of the body. Force production central.
The glutes
- Posterior tilt the pelvis
- Hips are designed for thrusting
- Safe to say the hips depend on the glutes. And last time I checked, if you want to walk you sorta need your hips.
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How Underactive Gluteal Muscles Can Cause Lower Back Pain
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Although it may seem counter-intuitive, lower back pain can often be attributed to soft tissue impairments in the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine.
In other words, youre not dealing with a specific lower back injury. Instead, the gluteal muscles and the piriformis muscle, which are located below the pelvis, are whats causing lumbar pain.
Identifying the source of your pain
The glutes are composed of three muscles all layered on top of each other: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles play a key role in facilitating daily activities, as they heavily influence the movement and positioning of the pelvis and lower spine.
Weak, underactive, or tight glutes can cause biomechanical imbalances in the pelvis and hips, as well as instability in the lower spine.
Tight glutes can cause as much lower back discomfort as weak glutes can, so overtraining these muscles or working in occupations that requires prolonged sitting can lead to tightness in the lower back area.
The piriformis muscle
The piriformis muscle is a muscle that can be found in the buttock area. It connects to the sacrum, the lowest part of the spine, to assist with lateral movement of the thigh and stabilizing the lower spine.
A common dysfunctional movement pattern that is prevalent in patients with lower back pain is an overactive piriformis muscle compensating for underactive gluteal muscles.
The hip flexors
What Happens When Your Hammys Are Tight
Look, its perfectly normal that lower back and hamstring pain pair up together, but even more is that you learn what happens once it occurs
Tight hamstrings will pull on a muscle called the ischial tuberosities, an area of your pubic bone.
When it gets pulled inward, your pelvis gets pushed backward. At this moment in time, your vertebrae in your lower back are brought flexed forward. What does this all mean? Possible trouble lies ahead
So when your hamstrings become tight and you get a bend forward flexion has to come from your lumbar spine. This is not ideal! Guess what gets it the worst? Your ligaments around your vertebrae! and this can make a bulging disc far worse. Yikes!
But I was taught the ways
To resolve that, the key is to keep your hamstrings lengthened at all times so you can move properly.
Related:Fixing Muscle Imbalances
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Gluteus Medius Pain Patterns & Symptoms
Gluteus Medius Pain Patterns:
The Gluteus Medius muscle has the capacity to refer a gnarly amount of pain to the low back, rear belt-line, glutes, and outer hip. The image below is from Travell & Simons work , and it depicts in bright red where pain caused by Gluteus Medius can arise on the body.
Gluteus Medius Pain Patterns
Gluteus Medius Pain Symptoms:
Gluteus Medius pain will generally feel like nagging low back pain and pain along the upper buttock region. This pain can be brought on by a single event such as lifting a couch, but also can occur gradually from performing physical activity at a high volume. After Gluteus Medius is tight and causing pain, staying on your feet for too long can be very uncomfortable.
Additional Gluteus Medius pain symptoms:
- Flattened low back – caused by a hyperactive, tight Gluteus Medius
- Pain from standing or walking for hours at a time
- Pain while lifting or carrying objects that should be easy
- Discomfort walking, climbing stairs, running
Alternating Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Remy Kam
Whether you’re looking for another pre-workout stretch or just want to take a midday movement break, this deadlift-style stretch can help. The key to success in this dynamic stretch? Keeping your back straight and hips square, says Kam. That way your glutes get the chance to lengthen and contract as they help lift your upper body and extended leg up and down.
Instructions:
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Glute Endurance Is Better For Lower Back Pain
Firing them up is the first step in getting them working at their peak. If they are still fast asleep then you can never build endurance into them. The glutes were designed to keep us standing upright ALL day. This means they should be working in low degree of activation for long periods of time. To test out your glute endurance, try the single-leg stance test and see how long you can last. You should be able to last at least 1 minute without feeling fatigued. If your hip drops and you lose balance, you need to work on endurance. If you feel the burn in the front of the raised hip You are compensating for poor glute endurance.
What Is The Sign Of Weaken Glutes Muscles
Weakened and underactive glutes can throw off your posture, balance, and possibly affect your athletic performance. An easy way to test the strength of your gluteal muscles is doing a single-leg squat and going as low as you can. If you can perform knee flexion to 90 degrees it indicates you have strong gluteal muscles.
Some of the signs of weakened glutes muscles include:
- Knee or hip pain
- Foot Blisters
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Back Pain Stretching Exercise: Stretches Your Hip Flexors
Start in a one-sided kneeling position and place the knee directly under your hip. Place the SUPER BAND around your thigh from the front.
Pull your navel firmly inward toward your spine and tighten your buttocks. Push yourself forward from the hip and hold this position.
Tip: for an additional mobilizing effect, rock slightly back and forth.
How To Strengthen Your Glutes
Performing specific exercises will allow you to strengthen your gluteal muscles. These exercises, which include squats and lunges, can be easily integrated into your daily routine. When done correctly, these exercises not only help stabilize affected muslces but also provide lower back pain relief. You can also add some weight or use a resistance band to maximize its benefits.
Another effective exercise is pilates. It promotes glute strength by isolating individual muscles and stopping other muscles, such as the hamstrings, from taking over the movement during the workout.
With the right exercises, it will only take about 6 to 8 weeks to build and strengthen your glutes, but you will notice a significant improvement in the level of low back pain in just a couple of weeks. A few more months down the line can also benefit you with a toned bum, minus the pain and discomfort.
It does not matter whether you are an athlete or notâeveryone needs strong glutes. With every movement you make , your glutes work to stabilize your hips and lower back.
Activate your glute muscles and put your best rear forward. Give us a call at any of our following clinics:
- Oshawa: 579-9938
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If You Are Reading This You Probably Currently Have Have Dealt With In The Past Or Know Of Someone Close To You Who Has Experienced Chronic Low Back Pain
In fact, it is estimated that up to 80% of the population will experience low back pain at some point in their lifetime . If you have low back pain you may have even gone as far to get checked out by a doctor, only to find that you have no structural damage and are left with the advice to strengthen your core and stretch more. Despite doing this you may have had no relief from your symptoms or by chance they have become even worse.
The Glutes And Lower Back Pain:
Your gluteals are a group of 3 muscles made up of Gluteus Maximus , Gluteus Medius , and Gluteus Minimus .
Your Glute Max is the largest and most superficial. It runs from your hip bone and sits bone to your ITB and thigh bone . It is responsible for:
- Laterally rotating your
- Extending and
- Abducting .
Gluteus Medius is the middle child in the gluteal group. It sits between the max and min in both size and position. It to runs from your hip bone to your thigh, and is responsible for stabilising your hip, and a little bit of abduction. The fibres at the front of your glute med also help with internally rotating your leg, whilst the fibres at the back help with outwardly rotating your leg.
Glute min as the name suggests is the smallest of the gluteal muscles. Its just below your glute med and also runs from your hip to your thigh. It works with your glute med to abduct your hip and stabilise it.
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Underactive Glute Muscles To Create Low Back Pain
Lower back discomfort is frequently caused by soft tissue abnormalities in the muscles around the lumbar spine, which may seem counterintuitive.
To put it another way, you’re not suffering from a specific lower back issue. Instead, lumbar pain is caused by the gluteal and piriformis muscles, which are located below the pelvis. Ask a pain physician for your low back and hip pain for right diagnosis and treatment.
The Gluteus Muscle Group
The gluteus maximus is located on the surface, while the other muscles are beneath, and they all contribute to hip movements. As the name suggests, the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle, while the gluteus minimus is the smallest.
Glutes are a group of muscles located in the buttocks, and they are responsible for hip movements such as:
- Extension stretching the leg backward.
- Abduction moving the leg to the side.
- Rotation internally and externally.
The Gluteus maximus also participates in hip abduction and adduction movements.
- abduction moving the leg away to the side.
- adduction moving the leg towards the body.
One part of the gluteus maximus connects with the iliotibial tract, and they participate in the stabilization of the knee during knee extension.
Another function of the gluteus muscles is pelvis stabilization when walking, climbing stairs, squats, lunges, and other similar movements.
Last but not least, the gluteus has a huge influence on the position of the pelvis. If the gluteus is weak, there is a chance of an anterior pelvic tilt. The result is an increased chance of lower back injuries, as well as reduced pelvic function. That can lead to more frequent muscle injuries and posture dysfunctions.
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Glute Exercises For Lower Back Pain
Choose 1-3 beginner-intermediate exercises first.
Complete between 7-15 repetitions with proper form. If you can only do 7 thats Okay.
Remember that what matters here is the quality of each repetition, not how many youre doing. 3 good quality reps are better than 10 reps done with bad form.
You can introduce some of the advanced variations once you feel you built a strong foundation and one exercise at a time.
Scroll below the video to read full exercise instructions:
Specific Hamstring Stretches For Back Pain Relief
The following stretches can gradually lengthen and reduce tension in the hamstring muscle, and in turn reduce stress felt in the lower back.
Options for hamstring stretching exercises, listed from most difficult to least difficult, include:
- Standing Hamstring Stretch. While standing, bend forward at the waist with arms hanging down toward the ground and with legs straight, without locking the knees. Try to touch the toes but do not strain to do so. Stop bending forward when a slight pulling sensation is felt in the hamstring. This form of exercise is not always recommended as it may be difficult to do, and even exacerbate pain from a lumbar herniated disc, spondylolisthesis or other specific conditions.
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