Toronto Gluteus Muscle Weakness Helped by Exercise: Planks
The glutes are for more than just sitting! They need to be strong and supportive to keep us, especially us Toronto back pain sufferers, walking, balanced, up-right. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre takes gluteal muscle strength seriously, especially the gluteus medius muscle, one of the foremost supportive spine muscles along with the gluteus maximus, tensor fascia latae, lumbar multifidus, external oblique, erector spinae, and rectus abdominus. So many muscles, so little space to discuss them all. Your Toronto chiropractor is focusing on the gluteal muscles in this article. More to come on the others!
FOCUSING ON WEAK GLUTEUS MUSCLES WITH SIDE PLANK OR BRIDGE
When supportive muscles are weak – gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, multifidus and transverse abdominus – performing exercises that strengthen those while not activating others like the erector spinae and tensor fascia latae is desirable. Side bridge while lifting the dominant leg is one exercise that showed itself to be good to activate the gluteal muscle and not the tensor fascia latae muscle. (An aside: Back bridge exercise showed itself helpful in strengthening the multifidus muscle.) (1) One variation of side plank is the side-sling plank. Researchers found that it increased gluteus medius strength after injuries. Side-sling plank with hip medial rotation proved itself superior for patients with gluteus medius weakness but dominant tensor fasciae latae. (2) Side bridge exercises were described to strengthen hip, trunk, and abdominal muscles as well as challenge trunk muscles without high lumbar compression, an important point for back pain sufferers like those Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre takes care of in our Toronto chiropractic practice. Another variation that was described as being superior to the others for strengthening a weak gluteus medius muscle was the side bridge with knee flexion. (3) When glute muscles are weaker than their neighboring muscles, exercises concentrated on activating the gluteus max and gluteus medius without involving surrounding muscles like the tensor fascia latae, etc., are vital. One simple exercise that triggered the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles while keeping to a minimum tensor fascia latae muscles was the clam exercise. (4) With so many different types of exercise possibilities, allow your Toronto chiropractor to help pinpoint which of your supportive muscles are weak and decide which exercises - natrual parts of chiropractic care - are best to strengthen them.
CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Robert Krause on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes care of a patient with degenerative disc disease and back pain who attained relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that included exercise.
Schedule your Toronto chiropractic appointment with Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre today. Don’t just sit on your weak glutes. Strengthen them, so they can support you best!
