The upper and side part of the butt is called gluteus medius, which is an overlooked muscle because of the more considerable gluteus maximus muscle beside it. If the person is experiencing tight hips, the best way to resolve this is by performing a gluteus medius stretch.
This muscle starts at the backside of the waist and goes towards the outer aspect of the hip in the downward direction.
Types of glute muscles
Glutes work very hard when a person is moving, climbing steps, or even walking.
There are three main types of gluteal muscles located in the buttock area. They are
- Gluteus Maximus – Largest and the outermost of the three muscles.
- Gluteus Medius – Powerful out of three muscles
- Gluteus Minimus – Smallest of all three muscles
What is Gluteus Medius Syndrome?
Sometimes people feel that there is numbness in their buttock area when there is a pull or pinch in the area. The extreme conditions may result in issues with stability as the glutes can’t support the hips and legs.
Types of injuries that can happen to Gluteus Medius Tendon
There are different types of injuries and tears that can happen to anybody. The most basic type of injuries include :
- Partial Thickness tear that can happen to only one part of the tendon
- Full-thickness tear in which the tear happens to the full tendon
- Full-thickness tear with retractions is a serious injury that can pull apart all the fibers in the tendon.
Having these injuries make people experience pain and swelling. Sometimes they will face difficulty even when they sit or walk. They were limping while walking is also one of the symptoms in such cases.
Symptoms to realize the tightness in glutes
In order to perform gluteus medius stretch, one should experience some of the following symptoms.
- The person should feel soreness or tightness in his/her buttocks
- Pain in the hips
- Low back pain
- Knee pain which is a quite common symptom
- Tight hamstrings can be relieved with some stretching
Tips that can help in stretching the tight glutes
- It is not correct to stretch when the body is cold. So it is recommended to warm up before doing gluteus medius stretch. Some of the best ways to warm up include jogging or walking.
- There are a few exercises that can specifically help in stretching tight muscles in the buttock areas and hips.
- Massaging the glutes can also help in relieving the stress that is accumulated in the hip area.
Advantages of stretching the glutes
A gluteus medius stretch will help in relieving pain for the following body parts.
- The knees
- The hips
- Lower back
- Buttock
Having tight glutes will make it difficult to even walk without trying to balance. This can also help in yoga practice.
Conclusion:
Whenever people do excessive workouts, the best way to cool down is performing gluteus medius stretch. But they have to make sure that they are not stretching too much.
When there is a tear in the tendon, the patient might experience pain at night, making it difficult to sleep. Taking an X-ray immediately or ultrasound can help in diagnosing the issue.
