Gluteus medius continued

LIFESTYLE NEWS - Exercise is one of the ways to improve your physical wellbeing and it aids in great measure to get rid of ailments, aches and pains.

Follow the exercise programme provided by the biokineticists at Anine van der Westhuizen Biokineticist in George and feel the difference.

This week biokineticist Lana Laubscher gives the seventh instalment of the series on hip rehabilitation exercises.

I trust that everyone is already having a very joyful festive season.

This week we will stick with the previously mentioned gluteus medius muscle.

With this muscle being so small but yet so important, we cannot let it fail us in times of hip distress.

For those who missed last week's article, the gluteus medius is a bum muscle situated at the side of the bum.

Its function is to assure biomechanical correction of the leg complex during functional movements (e.g. walking, climbing stairs). In many cases this muscle only does a "one-sided function".

Now what in the world does that mean?

There are three different types of muscle contractions.

Concentric
Eccentric
Isometric

The easiest of these three is the concentric, because as we know, muscles are made to contract.

So let's put it in to practice:

Lie down on your side and relax, with your head on your arm.

Bend your knees 90° and take your feet backward, so that your knees, hips and shoulders are in a fairly straight line.
Keep the feet on top of each other and lift the top knee approximately 15cm. Make sure the hips do not tilt backwards and keep your core activated.
Now lift your foot and slowly straighten your leg out to the back, ensuring you keep your gluteus medius activated (you can use an elastic band for extra tension on the muscle). This is the concentric muscle contraction of the glutues medius muscle: the muscle shortens while under tension.
Hold your leg in this position for 5-10 seconds. This is the isometric muscle contraction of the glutues medius muscle: it remains in the same position while under tension.
Now slowly bring your leg back in the bent knee position and lower your leg to its starting position, while keeping the bum connected. This is the eccentric muscle contraction of the glutues medius muscle: the muscle lengthens back to its original length while under tension.

During the holiday season, more than ever, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible and in this spirit we sincerely say thank you.

Have a blessed Christmas.

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