What Is A Gluteal Strain? Your gluteal muscles are the muscles in your buttocks. A strained muscle is when the muscle fibers are stretched or torn.
How Does It Occur? A gluteal strain usually occurs with running or jumping. It is often seen in hurdlers or dancers.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Gluteal Strain? A gluteal strain will cause pain in the buttocks. you may have pain when walking up or down stairs and pain when sitting. you will have pain moving your leg backward.
How Is It Diagnosed? Your doctor will examine your hips, buttocks, and legs and find that you have tenderness in the gluteal muscles.
What Is The Treatment For A Gluteal Strain? Initially, you should out ice packs on your injury for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 or 3 day, or until pain goes away. Your doctor may prescribe an anti inflammatory medication. You will be given a set of rehabilitation exercises. While you are recovering from your injury, you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example if running causes you pain, change to swimming.
When Can I Return To My Sport Of Activity? The goal of rehabilitation is to return to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. if you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport of activity will be determined by how soon the injured area recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. You may safely return to your sport or activity when, starting from the top of the list and progressing to the end each of the following is true;
- 1. You have full range of motion on the injured side compared to the uninjured side.
- 2. You have full strength of the injured side compared to the uninjured side.
- 3. You can jog straight ahead without pain or limping.
- 4. You can sprint straight ahead without pain or limping.
- 5. You can do 45-degree cuts, first at half - speed, then at full-speed.
- 6. You can do 20-yard figures- of eight, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- 7. You can do 90-degree cuts, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- 8. You can do 10-yard figures-of eight, first at half-speed then at full-speed.
- 9. You can jump on both legs without pain and you can jump on the leg on the injured side without pain.
How Can A Gluteal Strain Be Prevented? Gluteal strains are best prevented by warming up properly and doing stretching exercises before your activity.
Gluteal Strain Rehabilitation Exercises: You can stretch your gluteal muscles right away. You can begin strengthening your gluteal muscles as soon as the sharp pain goes away and you only have a dull ache using exercise 3, gluteal isometrics. After gluteal isometrics become easier, you can do gluteal strengthening exercises 4, 5, and 6. After the gluteal strengthening exercises become easy, strengthen you buttock muscles by doing lunges, exercise 7.
1. Single Knee to chest stretch: Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Bring the knee toward your chest, stretching your buttocks muscle. Hold this position. Repeat 3 times.
2. Hamstrings stretch: With the heel of leg on your injured side resting on a stool about 25 inches high, bend forward at the hips stretching the back of your thigh muscle. Make sure you don't round your shoulders and bend at the waist. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
3. Gluteal isometrics: Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out ahead of you. Squeeze your buttock muscles together and hold for 5 seconds, release. Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10.
4. Prone hip extension: Lie prone on your stomach with your on legs straight out behind you. Squeeze your buttocks muscles and lift the leg on your injured side straight. Hold this for 5 seconds and then slowly lower your leg to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10.
5. Resisted hip extension: Stand facing a door with a Thera-Band tied around your ankle. Knot the other end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door. Pull your leg straight back, keeping your knee straight. Make sure you do not lean forward. Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10. To challenge yourself, move farther away from the door and the tubing will provide more resistance.
6. Hip abduction: Stand sideways near a doorway with your uninjured side closest to the door. Tie a Thera-Band around the ankle of your injured leg. Knot the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door. Extend your leg out to the side, keeping your knee straight. Returning to the starting position repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets of 10. To challenge yourself, move farther away from the door.
7. Lunge: Stand and take a large step forward with the leg on your injured side. Dip the knee on the uninjured side down toward the floor and bend the leg on your injured side. Return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise, this time stepping forward with the leg on your uninjured side and dipping the leg on the injured side down. Do 10 repetitions on each side.
All material provided is designed for information purposes only and should not be used to replace the care of a health care professional. Do not rely on any of the information for diagnosis or treatment. It is recommended that you visit a qualified health care professional for individual and personal attention.
