Low back pain, constant hamstring strains, pelvic floor dysfunction, flat booty- what do they all have in common? Glute inhibition! – glutes that are not working as optimally as they should be.
What are your glutes?
The glutes are a powerful group of muscles that control the range of motion of the hip and provide stability to the back and pelvis.
Why would the glutes go on vacation?
The function of your glute muscles can be inhibited for a number of reasons:
- Tight hip flexors – when the hip flexors are tight, they place the glutes at a mechanical disadvantage to contract properly.
- Constant clenching/ tucking- for a muscle to function properly it needs to both lengthen and contract. When the glutes are in a shortened position all day long, it is difficult to produce power. Think about your bicep. Stretch out your arm and perform a bicep curl – see how the bicep produces power to move the forearm up? Now, start with the bicep already contracted (the top of the bicep curl), and try to squeeze the bicep more. Much harder right? The same thing happens when the glutes are already tight and we ask them to function.
- Habit- the body will do what is easiest, even if it will create pain and dysfunction in the long term. If it is easier to compensate with the hamstrings or TFL (the small muscle at the front of the hip) it will.
What are signs that the glutes are inhibited?
There are a few clues that you suffer from glute inhibition:
- Appearance- flat gluteal muscle
- Chronic groin/ hamstring strains- the adductors and hamstrings overwork to compensate for the glutes and are prone to injury. If you are constantly getting hamstring or groin strains, check out your glute function
- Aches and pains – back pain, hip pain, knee pain etc . For example, if the back is painful, one of the causes could be that it is compensation for poor glute function by overextending. This is common in runners, especially if the runner spends most of the day stuck at a sitting office job.
- Pelvic floor dysfunction- the pelvic floor muscles compensate for the inhibited glutes and can develop chronic tightness and trigger points. A tight pelvic floor can lead to incontinence and pelvic pain
My glutes are inhibited- help!
Fix your glutes:
- Stretch your hip flexors
- If you are clenching/tucking your glutes- try to check in with yourself many times a day and try to relax the glutes. You can do a little dance to help “shake it out”
- Learn how to hinge- this will help increase the length in your glutes and teach them to contract properly
- Deep breathing 5 minutes every single day- if stress is a factor, this is the best way to relax those tight glutes!
Want to learn more? Read about it in the Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine: The effect of corrective exercises on strength, power and endurance of gluteal muscles in women with weakness and inhibition of gluteal muscles