CHARLOTTE – Another glute muscle that can drive you crazy is the glute medius. Gluteus medius is located in your hip/bottom area and is attached to your hip bone and to the upper thigh bone (called the greater trochanter). It’s shaped like a fan and helps to move your thigh away from your body, and also helps rotate your thigh.

Glute medius is essential to walking. As you take a step, you lift your left leg up, forward while the right glute medius is contracting to keep your body level. Failure for this to happen may result in gait abnormalities and tipping sideways while walking. Glute medius helps to stabilize the pelvis while you walk.

If your glutes aren’t performing well or firing correctly, they can cause several issues or problems that, if ignored, can cause serious issues within other parts of your body. For instance, if your glute medius doesn’t do its job, you might see problems arise with your hip (bursitis and other issues), your knee, and your IT band that runs alongside your thigh from your knee to your hip. These issues can also bother your ankle and feet.

Your massage therapist can talk to you about your gait and what the problem might be if you are experiencing hip pain/discomfort or if your knees are hurting. They can assess (muscle test) the muscles in your hip/buttock and thigh area to see what muscles are weak or underperforming. They can also offer stretches to help while you’re between massages.