Vancouver Gluteus Muscle Weakness Helped by Exercise: Planks

There is so much more to the glutes than being seat cushions! They need to be strong and supportive to keep us, especially those of us who suffer with Vancouver back pain, walking, balanced, up-right. Vancouver Disc Centers 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 discuss them all. Your Vancouver 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 using others like the erector spinae and tensor fascia latae is advantageous. Side bridge while lifting the dominant leg is one exercise that showed itself 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 found that it enhanced gluteus medius strength post-injury. Side-sling plank with hip medial rotation demonstrated itself superior for patients with gluteus medius weakness  but  stronger tensor fasciae latae. (2) Side bridge exercises were documented to strengthen hip, trunk, and abdominal muscles as well as challenge trunk muscles without high lumbar compression, an important item for back pain sufferers like those Vancouver Disc Centers takes care of in our Vancouver chiropractic practice. 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 neighboring muscles, exercises concentrated on activating the gluteus max and gluteus medius without involving surrounding muscles like the tensor fascia latae, etc., are key. One easy exercise that triggered the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles while minimizing tensor fascia latae muscles was the clam exercise. (4) With so many different kinds of exercise possibilities, depend on your Vancouver chiropractor to help pinpoint which of your supportive muscles are weak and determine which exercises - natrual parts of chiropractic care - are most beneficial in strengthening them.

CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers

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

Schedule your Vancouver chiropractic appointment with Vancouver Disc Centers today. Don’t just sit on your weak glutes. Strengthen them, so they can support you best!