DO YOU HAVE LOW BACK PAIN?

Do you have chronically tight hip flexors or IT Band? (The IT band is a multipurpose tendon that runs down the length of the outer thigh, from the top of the pelvis to the shin bone).

Do you have knee pain when you’re walking or running or climbing stairs?

Have you been told you over-pronate your feet during gait? Overpronation is when the arches of the foot roll inward or downward when walking, and is often referred to as flat feet.

Have you suffered from shin splints, Achilles Tendinitis or Plantar Fasciitis?

WEAK AND DISENGAGED GLUTEUS MEDIUS MUSCLES MAY BE CAUSING ANY OR ALL OF THESE ISSUES!

 

NOTE: Please watch the videos entirely

and read the instructions FIRST

before trying to follow along. 

 

Exercise #1 – CLAMSHELL

 

When the leg is straight and unsupported, the role of the gluteus medius is to abduct the leg (take the leg away) from the midline. When the hip is flexed, the gluteus medius internally rotates the leg.

This is a typical beginner’s gluteus medius exercise:

1. Make sure that your spine is straight — note that there is a space between the bottom waist and the floor/mat.
2. Place your hand on the top pelvis so that you can feel the muscle engaging.
3. Before doing the action, visualize the knee lifting up, while the foot remains in contact with the bottom foot — this way, the muscle is already starting to activate BEFORE the movement happens.
4. Keep notice of your waist and don’t let it move.
5. As you exhale, keeping everything in neutral, life the knee up.

The progression is:

1. Straighten the top leg.
2. Rotate the leg at the hip joint by pointing the toes down towards the floor.
3. Maintaining the waist off the bed and the pelvis neutral and quiet, begin to bring your upper leg toward your head.
4. Keep the knee straight while doing the movement.

 

Exercise #2 – PRONE STRADDLE HOLD

 

1. Lie on your tummy with your arms outstretched beside your ears.
2. Inhale to prepare, exhale to lift the legs straight up off the floor.
3. Inhale to hold.
4. Exhale and abduct the legs (away from midline) without dropping the level of the legs.
5. Hold in abduction for 10-30 seconds.

 

Exercise #3 – 4-PT HIP ABDUCTION

 

1. Get onto hands and knees.
2. Ensure your hands are directly under the shoulders and the knees are under the hips.
3. Maintain neutral spine.
4. Slide one leg back to straight.
5. Lift the leg up, straight, until parallel to the floor.
6. Abduct the leg out to the side — without shortening the spine, or changing the pelvic position.

 

Exercise #4 STANDING BALL SQUEEZE

 

1. Place ball above knee of the leg closest to the wall. Ensure the other leg has toes pointed forward and straight.
2. Bend the knee with the ball.
3. Push the ball into the wall without disturbing the position of the pelvis — so pelvis doesn’t go up or down and the rest of your body is not bending forward or back.

 

Exercise #5 – STANDING BALL SQUEEZE WITH SQUAT

 

Practice squatting with the ball — squeeze to ensure the knees stay aligned as you go into full squat. Make sure that you’re hinging from the hips and there is no flexion of the spine. As you come up from standing, push through the heels, maintaining the ball squeeze to come back into standing.

When the gluteus medius muscle is weak and you squat, the knees turn in (valgus), as shown in the photo above.

This puts a lot of strain on the inner part of the knee, leading to issues of joint pain.

The other muscle that supports the knee (The section of the muscle that’s just above the kneecap is referred to as the vastus medialis oblique “VMO”) is also unable to activate properly.

Hopefully, by following along carefully through these video tutorials, you can achieve some relief to your pain. Please note that this is just the tip of the iceberg to healing low back pain. PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE WHEN YOU ARE READY FOR MORE!