One of the little known facts about the body is that weak glutes and hip abductors are contributing factors to lower back pain and gait changes. But how exactly can weak glutes cause lower back pain?
Your glutes are the biggest group of muscles in your body. One of its most essential functions is in stabilizing the pelvis and the hips. This particular muscle group is categorized into 3 major types:
In addition, the glute muscles keep the pelvis level when running, walking, or standing on one leg. If either part of this muscle group is impaired, overfired, tight, or inhibited, it results in a lateral tilt in the pelvis. Pelvic imbalance can cause back pain due to the formation of small curvature and rotation in the lower back. Unstabilized gluteal muscles can cause a mechanical overload of the pelvis, which leads to trifling injuries that cannot be resolved with rest.
Your lifestyle can have a significant impact on your gluteal muscles. A sedentary lifestyle causes the muscles to become lengthened and inactive. Prolonged sitting at the desk, long hours of driving, and being a couch potato can reduce the functionality of your gluteal muscles and are some of the major causes of lower back pain. Also, it tightens the hip flexors and pulls the pelvis forward. Feeling stiff, especially when standing up after sitting for a long period, is a telltale sign that your glute muscles have become dormant and weak.
At age 35, many people start losing muscle tone, particularly the glute muscle. This can have a significant effect on the biomechanics of your body. As a result, the back muscles will automatically assume the function of the weak gluteal muscles. However, it causes back pain and disc degeneration due to the increase of pressure in your intervertebral discs.
Destabilized glutes can throw off your posture, balance, and perhaps affect your athletic performance, as well. An easy way to test the strength of your gluteal muscles is doing a single leg squat and go as low as you can. Knee flexion to 90 degrees indicates strong gluteal muscles.
The Trendelenburg test is also an effective way to test the displacement of your hip. Start by standing on one leg and holding the pelvis stable. It helps test the strength of your weight-bearing legs. If your pelvis tips to the other side, it indicates gluteal weakness.
Below are other signs of weak glutes that you should watch out for:
Bursitis, a painful condition characterized by inflamed or irritated bursae, is a late sign of glute weakness. You may feel pain in the front of your knee, especially when running. To test your glute strength, gently lay on your side with your hip and knee straight. Slowly stretch the top leg backward and do about 5 to 10 straight leg raises. If this causes you pain, your glutes are weak.
One of the most common causes and indicators of glute weakness is slouching. Poor gluteal muscles and limited hip mobility can result in poor posture, such as hunching over, increasing your risk of lower back pain.
Swaying to one side or experiencing muscle spasms when running can be a sign of an irregularity in your gait. When your hip joint becomes stiff due to weak glutes, it affects all your hip stabilizer muscles, altering your movement and eventually causing you pain.
Weak glutes can also be a contributory factor to plantar fasciitis, a condition characterized by painful or inflamed heels. A person with severe glute weakness has an irregular foot strike position while they walk or run. This could eventually trigger painful plantar fasciitis.
Did you know that blisters and other foot problems are related to weak glutes? While blisters in your feet can develop if you wear the wrong footwear, it could also hint at poor or altered gait as a result of glute weakness, such as the altered pattern in your foot strike.
Performing specific exercises will allow you to strengthen your gluteal muscles. These exercises, which include squats and lunges, can be easily integrated into your daily routine. When done correctly, these exercises not only help stabilize affected muslces but also provide lower back pain relief. You can also add some weight or use a resistance band to maximize its benefits.
Another effective exercise is pilates. It promotes glute strength by isolating individual muscles and stopping other muscles, such as the hamstrings, from taking over the movement during the workout.
With the right exercises, it will only take about 6 to 8 weeks to build and strengthen your glutes, but you will notice a significant improvement in the level of low back pain in just a couple of weeks. A few more months down the line can also benefit you with a toned bum, minus the pain and discomfort.
It does not matter whether you are an athlete or not—everyone needs strong glutes. With every movement you make (sitting on the toilet, walking, swinging a golf club), your glutes work to stabilize your hips and lower back.
If you experience hip, leg, or lower back pain and need help with strengthening your muscles, talk to a licensed physical therapist. At the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centres of Ontario, we offer physiotherapy services that help individuals regain their functional mobility and reduce the pain caused by musculoskeletal problems. We will design a personalized treatment program that addresses specific conditions to effectively reduce pain and discomfort, improve range of motion, regain muscle strength and boost functional ability.
Activate your glute muscles and put your best rear forward. Give us a call at any of our following clinics:
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