Largo Gluteus Muscle Weakness Helped by Exercise: Planks
The glutes are for more than just sitting! They need to be strong and supportive to keep us, especially us Largo back pain sufferers, walking, balanced, up-right. Hollstrom & Associates Inc takes gluteal muscle strength seriously, especially the gluteus medius muscle, one of the more prominent 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 Largo chiropractor is focusing on the gluteal muscles in this article. The others will be discussed in the future.
FOCUSING ON WEAK GLUTEUS MUSCLES WITH SIDE PLANK OR BRIDGE
When supportive muscles are weak – gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, multifidus and transverse abdominus – performing exercises that strengthen those while not activating others like the erector spinae and tensor fascia latae is advantageous. Side bridge while lifting the dominant leg is one exercise that demonstrated its ability to be good to activate 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 explained that it enhanced gluteus medius strength post-injury. Side-sling plank with hip medial rotation proved itself superior in 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 item for back pain sufferers like those Hollstrom & Associates Inc takes care of in our Largo 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 focused on activating the gluteus max and gluteus medius without involving surrounding muscles like the tensor fascia latae, etc., are key. One simple exercise that activated 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 types of exercise possibilities, depend on your Largo chiropractor to help isolate which of your supportive muscles are weak and decide which exercises - natrual parts of chiropractic care - are best to strengthen them.
CONTACT Hollstrom & Associates Inc
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 attained relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that included exercise.
Schedule your Largo chiropractic appointment with Hollstrom & Associates Inc today. Don’t just sit on your weak glute muscles. Strengthen them, so they can support you best!
