IMPORTANCE OF GLUTEAL MUSCLES IN POSTURAL HEALTH

In the previous post we treated the dominant hip exercises. In this post, we saw that exercises such as hip-thrust are focused on the work of the posterior chain, mainly on improving the strength of the hip extensor musculature, among which we find, obviously, gluteus. It is with this name that this muscle is normally known, although if we are rigorous, the gluteal musculature is composed of different muscles, which are:

1. Gluteus maximus
2. Gluteus medius
3. Gluteus minimus

M101 - Gluteus maximus by skarocket7. CC BY-SA 2.0

As we can see, gluteal muscles does not consist only of one muscle. In addition, this group of muscles are connected to a multitude of body structures, such as the core, lower limbs, or the latissimus dorsi. This gives us to understand that the importance of the gluteal musculature is paramount as far as the functionality of human movement is concerned. Unfortunately, however, the gluteal musculature is one of the most inhibited in the population today, and it should be one of the stronger muscles of the human body. This is mainly due to two factors: 

• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Too many hours in a sitting position.

These two factors have led to the emergence of a term to encompass this widespread problem of gluteal muscle inhibition, this term being that of "gluteal amnesia". This mechanical alteration translates into different problems, such as less activation of the gluteal muscles, less stability of the hip, a greater risk of injury, and of course less performance potential (Lloyd, Saunders, Bremer, & Tremblay, 2014). In addition, we find one of the biggest problems due to this "amnesia", which is the deficit and insufficiency of lumbo-pelvic stabilization. All of the above factors cause the person's motor pattern to be altered in the vast majority of executions, due to the lack of stability in the central zone (Cook, Burton, & Hoogenboom, 2014). 

The main function of the gluteus maximus is that of extending the hip, and due to the two factors mentioned above, the positions we adopt in our daily lives cause hip musculature such as the iliac psoas or hamstring to remain shortened, and the pelvis to adopt a position of pelvic retroversion by inhibition of the gluteus. But this does not only happen in sedentary people, but in the sports field it is also very common to find athletes who are not able to activate the gluteus optimally. This occurs due to the high involvement of hip flexors in most training programs, which forces the antagonist musculature, in this case the hip extensors, to inhibit and lose its correct activation pattern (Gowitzke & Milner, 1999). This is a bigger problem than it seems, since, for example, the gluteus maximus is one of the most powerful muscles in the body, or at least should be. Its functions are very varied, but the one that most concerns us is lumbopelvic stability and the transmission of forces in ballistic movements (Akuthota, Ferreiro, Moore, & Fredericson, 2008).

The body, as we have repeated on several occasions in our blog, is a synergistic system in which all structures are interconnected, in which the alteration in one of them causes another to replace its function. In the case of the gluteal musculature, in case of a maintained inhibition, the hamstrings would be the main ones in charge of performing the hip extension, which would end up triggering the famous "tight hamstring syndrome", since they would remain tight during most of the day (da Silva Dias & Gómez-Conesa, 2008). This would reduce mobility in the hip, affecting the lumbo-pelvic stabilization, promoting a rectification of the lumbar spine and therefore a maintained pelvic retroversion. The iliac psoas could also be involved in this combination of structures, activating in excess and favoring the opposite, an increase in lumbar lordosis by a forced anteversion of the pelvis. 

As a conclusion, we can say that the "gluteal amnesia syndrome" is a problem mainly related to sedentarism and poor hygiene posture, although sometimes also appears in sports population. This syndrome can cause very large muscle imbalances, exponentially increasing the risk of injury and lumbar pathologies. In the following post we will deal with a practical application on the gluteus, providing strategies for its correct work, but broadly speaking, we can summarize that the work will be based on three large blocks:

1. Avoid sedentary life and remain seated for too many hours.
2. Improve our postural hygiene, becoming aware of our body and learning to correctly activate our buttocks.
3. Work on specific exercises to strengthen and awaken this inhibited musculature.

Next, we enclose a presentation about the anatomy of gluteus muscles, as well as some images as a representation so that you can understand it graphically and simply.

See you in the next post. 

May the force be with you!

References

Akuthota, V., Ferreiro, A., Moore, T., & Fredericson, M. (2008). Core Stability Exercise Principles Core Stability Exercise Principles. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 7(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.CSMR.0000308663.13278.69

Cook, G., Burton, L., & Hoogenboom, B. J. (2014). Functional Movement Screening : The Use of Fundamental Movements as an Assssment of Function- Part 2. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 9(4), 549–563. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1382055

da Silva Dias, R., & Gómez-Conesa, A. (2008). Síndrome de los isquiotibiales acortados. Fisioterapia,30(4), 186–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ft.2008.07.004

Gowitzke, B. A., & Milner, M. (1999). El cuerpo y sus movimientos : bases científicas. Editorial Paidotribo. Retrieved from https://www.casadellibro.com/libro-el-cuerpo-y-sus-movimientos-bases-cientificas/9788480194181/688263
Lloyd, M., Saunders, T. J., Bremer, E., & Tremblay, M. S. (2014). Long-term importance of fundamental motor skills: a 20-year follow-up study. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly : APAQ, 31(1), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq:2013-0048