Strengthening the Glutes

Each month Rehab United Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Center will highlight a different topic for our RU Fit? blog. We will post training tips on our Facebook Page each week and summarize them at the end of each month. This August, we discussed "the glutes" and created handouts and a video for proper strengthening of the legs to help rehabilitate from prevent common injuries such as low-back and knee pain.  Read below for more!

Strengthening the Glutes To Prevent Low-Back and Knee Pain
The glutes (a number of muscles in the hip area, including the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimum and gluteus medius) are an extremely important muscle group. When functioning properly, the glutes assist almost every movement in life, aid in rehabilitation of other joints (such as the knees) and can also prevent injuries, like low-back pain.

Exercise Example - Sit-to-Stand Progression: Squats are a widely-accepted glute-strengthening exercise; however, after an injury some patients may lack the coordination, strength, or balance to complete a standard squat. The “sit to stand” is a great fundamental exercise to safely build lower-body strength.

• Sit-to-Stand Progression - Video
• Sit-to-Stand Progression - Handout (see below)

Exercise Example - Balance Reach. Balance is equally important as strength – the balance reach (and its variations) is an excellent exercise to build balance and strength.

• Balance Reach - Handout (see below)

Exercise Example - Piriformis Stretch. Hip flexibility (i.e. joint mobility) is equal, if not more important, than strength and balance.  The piriformis stretch, named after the piriformis (Latin for "pear-shaped") muscle located in the backside of the hips, stretches many of the glute muscles when performed with rotation (reaching left and right).

• Piriformis Stretch - Handout (see below)

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