Do you suffer from back pain when you have to walk around a long time? Feel a nagging ache in your lower back during the day? Lucky for you the pain might be coming from something very simple and easy to fix. The gluteus medius is a common contributor to low back pain, and people that have trigger points in the area often complain of symptoms and discomfort in the lower back. You don’t even need to go to a therapist to relieve this problem, head to your back yard, grab your tennis ball and you are on your way to a pain free back.
Where Is The Glute Med?
The gluteus medius is one of your bum muscles. It is the most outer of the three and attaches to the top of the hip bone. The basic function of the glute me is to take the leg away from the body, helps with rotating the hip outwards. One main function that it has to perform in everybody every single day is is keeping the hip level when the other leg is off the ground during walking.
How Do Glute Med Trigger Points Cause Pain?
The reason that you get pain in your back from this annoying muscle can be mostly attributed to trigger points. There are three common trigger points that lie in this muscle and cause you problems, and they span over the top of the muscle, right up near the hip. It’s not important to know exactly where they are, because in most people it differs slightly, but here is a basic picture showing you where they lie.
triggerpoints.net
You can see the anatomy of the muscle above, and now it is important that you explore the area and release your tight spots.
It is sometimes hard to believe that one trigger point can cause so much pain in another area, but that’s what they do, refer pain. Your glute med lies pretty close to your lower back, so it’s easier to understand how it can cause issues. You will find once you hit these points and attack them, they will release and your pain will dissipate with them.
So How Do I Fix It?
Find the top of your hip bone on the side of your body, track your hand slightly backwards, and just where the muscle starts should be your first point of call. Check this picture below.
Now start in this position with the ball up high on the muscle. You will feel that it is tight and aggravated, so move around slowly. When you find an extra tight point, especially one that refers pain up into your lower back you should hold it for 30 seconds or until it releases. Keep exploring the muscle in this position, and repeat the same process when you find a tight or sore spot.
Glute med trigger points often come alongside ones in the Quadratus Lumborum.
Remember that you need to do this often. Correctly a lifetime of bad movement or posture doesn’t happen overnight and requires commitment. Do this a few times a day everyday until you start to feel your pain subside. Don’t be afraid to explore your body with the tennis ball, you can get rid of a lot of pain and symptoms. Check out The Ultimate Self Massage Guide here for more information and instructions on how to release your whole body with a tennis ball and foam roller.