The Vital Glutes: Connecting the Gait Cycle to Pain and Dysfunction

There are two important groups of muscles that contribute to stability of the lower back and pelvis. Collectively they have been called the inner unit (core) and the outer unit (myofascial sling systems). The inner unit consists of the transversus abdominis, multifidus, diaphragm, and muscles of the pelvic floor—also collectively known as the core,

Poor posture is a faulty relationship of the various parts of the body, which produces increased strain on the supporting structures and in which there is less efficient balance of the body over its base of support. The

If muscle imbalances are not addressed, the body will be forced into a compensatory position, which increases the stress placed on the musculoskeletal system, eventually leading to tissue breakdown, irritation, and injury.

We have already looked at how the relative shortness of the iliopsoas, rectus femoris, and adductors can be responsible for the apparent weakness inhibition or misfiring of the glutes. These three muscles are antagonistic to the Gmax and Gmed, and because of their anatomical position, any shortness in these muscles can result in a compensatory neur

Richardson et al. (1999) identified the lumbar multifidus and the TVA as the key stabilizers of the lumbar spine. Both muscles link in with the thoracolumbar fascia to provide what Richardson et al. refer to as “a natural, deep muscle corset to protect the back from injury.”

Tip: Overactivity of the adductors will result in a weakness inhibition of the abductors, in particular the gluteus medius. This can result in a Trendelenburg pattern of gait as explained in chapter 6

Bilateral hypertonicity of the rectus femoris will cause the pelvis to adopt an anterior tilt, resulting in lower back pain due to the fifth lumbar vertebra facet joints being forced into a lordotic position.

It is known that 60–70% of the walking or running cycle is spent on the stance phase, which is restricted to one leg at a time (with 30–40% being spent on the swing phase). If you recall the lateral sling discussion in earlier chapters, we know that the stance phase incorporates the abductors, adductors on the ipsilateral leg, and the QL on the con

Sherrington’s law of reciprocal inhibition (Sherrington 1907) states that a hypertonic antagonist muscle may be reflexively inhibiting its agonist. Therefore, in the presence of short and subsequently tight antagonistic muscles, we must first look at restoring normal muscle tone and/or length before attempting to strengthen a weakened or inhibited