Gluteal Pain

Are you suffering from pain in your lower back or buttocks? Many a time, pain in the lower back could be caused due to problems associated with the gluteal muscles. Out of the three gluteal muscles that essentially form the buttocks, gluteus maximus is the largest muscle. Gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are smaller than the gluteus maximus to a certain extent, but all of them have a role in the mobility of the pelvic region. A variety of reasons could be attributed to gluteal pain. Strained gluteal muscles are most likely to give rise to buttock pain. Since these muscles can become weak due to inactivity, therefore, people who have a sedentary lifestyle might also suffer from pain in the buttocks. If you suffer from pain in and around your buttocks and thighs while sitting or running, you must get yourself examined. If you wish to find out more about the causes of pain in gluteal muscles, you can go through the following information.

Gluteal Muscles

As mentioned earlier, gluteus maximus is one of the strongest muscles of our body. It originates at the upper portion of the pelvis. It attaches to the pelvic bone and travels down to attach itself to the femur. Gluteus maximus facilitates various movements of the thigh and pelvic region. These muscles help you change your position from sitting to standing. These facilitate the bending movements and lower you into a sitting position. Contraction of this muscle helps you swim or squat. It is this muscle that helps in maintaining balance of the body as we walk or stand. It allows one to rotate the hip laterally. Gluteus medius is the fan-shaped middle gluteal muscle that originates from the iliac bone and attaches to the outer part of the hip. A part of this muscle is covered by gluteus maximus. It allows us to lift our legs sideways and provides stability to the pelvis when we walk. The smallest and the innermost gluteal muscle is referred to as the gluteus minimus muscle. It is positioned beneath gluteus medius. Both gluteus medius and gluteus minimus work together and facilitate the rotation and adduction of the thighs. These muscles also help in flexing the hip.

Causes of Gluteal Muscle Pain

Standing for prolonged periods of time in a wrong body posture might give rise to pain. One might feel pain in these muscles after an intensive workout. Overuse of these muscles or trauma to the sacroiliac joint can lead to the creation of trigger points. Gluteal fold pain generally arises if one has been sitting for long stretches of time. Pain in the buttocks could also be indicative of sciatica or piriformis syndrome. People who don't exercise regularly are most likely to suffer from gluteal fold pain. When these muscles are not used much, one is most likely to suffer from pain while running, climbing stairs or rising from a sitting position.

Treatment Options

First of all, you need to find out what's causing gluteal muscle pain. You must refrain from any activity that's causing pain in these muscles. You must refrain from sitting cross-legged for long stretches of time. Those of you who are not physically active must start exercising regularly. If a strained gluteus medius is causing pain, performing gluteus medius exercises will help. Performing yoga or aerobic exercises may surely prove beneficial.

You can perform glute stretches to strengthen these muscles. Performing leg lifts, glute ham raise, glute squeeze, squats and lunges surely work wonders. These exercises will also help you tone the muscles and give you a shapely body. Alternative healing therapies such as deep tissue massage and acupuncture can provide relief from pain in the gluteal muscles. If pain in these muscles has been caused due to sciatica or piriformis syndrome, taking certain medications might help.

This was all about causes of gluteal pain. If you have been suffering from pain in and around your buttocks, you must look into your lifestyle and make the required lifestyle-related changes soon.