Stretches for Glutes Pain
Pain and muscle soreness may frequently be an issue for you, which can limit your daily movements. Any part of the body can be affected and may need attention and stretches to relieve the pain. The pelvic region is one of these areas, and the most common problem is a pain in the glutes. Have you felt sore at some stage?
If your answer is yes, we invite you to continue reading. Of course, if it’s never happened to you, that’s great; but it might be a good idea to have some knowledge just in case. Prevention is better than a cure, as they say. Here are some recommendations for stretches to help with glutes pain.
A little about glutes pain
The causes of glutes or buttock pain can be many and varied. However, the main cause is generally related to muscular problems.
With respect to the muscle groups that can be sore in this area, they are commonly affected by fatigue. Occasionally it’s a symptom of a larger problem. For instance, the piriformis or pyramidal syndrome, or slipped discs generally make themselves felt through buttock pain.
Of course, it’d be ideal to see a health care professional and determine the true origin of the problem. What if you know it’s muscle pain due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the glutes area, or due to a sedentary lifestyle? Stretching is a viable option to help reduce glutes pain.
How can you stretch to treat glutes pain?
Your glute muscles have an important role to play in your body. They have the job of helping your hips when they extend and they give stability to the pelvic area. If the glute muscles aren’t in good shape, the related muscles in that area, as well as the joints, will be affected.
Luckily, stretches can help you keep your glutes in shape, avoid pain, and reduce the probability of related injuries. With those ideas in mind, we’ll show you some different stretches for glutes pain here.
Knees to the chest
Lay down on your back, preferably on an exercise mat or something similar. Bend your hips and knees and try to get your knees as close as possible to your chest. Once they’re there, hold your knees in place with your palms and pull them further towards your chest strongly. Keep the stretch in place for between 10 and 30 seconds, then relax.
One knee to the chest
Starting from the position from the previous stretch (knees to the chest), extend completely your left leg. Keep your right knee as close as you can to your chest with the help of both hands, pulling your knee towards you. Keep the stretch up for 10 to 30 seconds. Then alternate your legs.
Hip flexes
Sit down with your legs straight in front of you, and bend your right leg. Stretch your leg over to the left side and put your foot on the floor behind your left knee, as you can see in the opening image. Your left leg should be straight on the floor.
To help you get the most out of the stretch, it’s recommended that you put pressure on the outside of your right knee with your left elbow, so your hip will flex and stretch further. The duration of this stretch should be between 12 to 20 seconds.
Leg lifts
Lying down on your mat again with your legs out straight, lift one leg up in the air. You can start by bending your knee and then straighten your leg.
You should hold this stretch in place, using your hands as well. Put one hand on the thigh of the leg that’s flat on the ground, and with the other hand hold the toes of the foot that’s in the air. Try to hold this stretch for around 20 seconds.
More about glutes stretches
The stretches we’ve shown you above can help in treating glutes pain. The benefits come from the stimulation of blood flow in the muscles of that area and from reducing involuntary muscle contractions, or cramps.
Make sure you do these stretches evenly with both legs, although they’re explained above using just one side of the body. It would be good to do all of the above stretches as a short routine, including a break of 20 seconds between each different stretch.
Just as we’ve mentioned above, glutes pain can be caused by many different factors, so you should investigate the cause in your case. Stretches should also be done after an exercise session, with the aim of preventing injuries and reducing post-exercise muscle pain.
Also, if your general health practitioner or physiotherapist recommends it after diagnosing you, stretches are a great option. As we’ve seen, stretches are an excellent way to alleviate glutes pain.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Semiología del dolor lumbar. (2010). Semiología Del Dolor Lumbar. https://doi.org/10.22517/25395203.787
- Blum, B. (1998). Los estiramientos. In Métodos Actuales De Stretching. Desarrollan La Flexibilidad Y Elasticidad. Mejoran La Salud Y El Rendimiento. Alivian Los Dolores Articulares Y Evitan Las Lesiones.
- Herbert RD, de N. M. (2007). Estiramiento para la prevención o la reducción del dolor muscular posterior al ejercicio. La Biblioteca Cochrane Plus.