A literature review of studies evaluating gluteus maximus and gluteus medius activation during rehabilitation exercises

Abstract

Recently, clinicians have focused much attention on the importance of hip strength for the rehabilitation of not only patients with low back pain but also lower extremity pathology. Properly designing a rehabilitation program for the gluteal muscles requires careful consideration of biomechanical principles, such as length of the external moment arm, gravity, and subject positioning. Understanding the anatomy and function of these muscles also is essential. Electromyography (EMG) provides a useful means to determine muscle activation levels during specific exercises. Descriptions of specific exercises, as they relate to the gluteal muscles, are described. The specific performance of these exercises, the reliability of such EMG measures, and descriptive figures are also detailed. Of utmost importance to practicing clinicians is the interpretation of such data and how it can be best used in exercise prescription when formulating a treatment plan.

Normalisation method can affect gluteus medius electromyography results during weight bearing exercises in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA): A case control study

“…Measurement of GMed sEMG activity during therapeutic exercises has been previously investigated, predominantly in young healthy people [14,15]. This limits extrapolation to people with symptomatic OA.…”

Análise Das Estratégias De Ajustes Posturais Do Glúteo Médio Na Presença De Perturbações Em Idosos E Jovens

“…O músculo glúteo médio apresenta papel fundamental na geração do torque na manutenção da pelve em equilíbrio, quando se encontra sob perturbação da postura, como também para a geração de torques nos movimentos de abdução do quadril durante a marcha (20) . Todavia, durante o processo de envelhecimento, idosos apresentam instabilidades posturais (4,9,11) e dificuldades em lidar com essas perturbações quando ameaçados (9,11,15) .…”

Gluteus Minimus and Gluteus Medius Muscle Activity During Common Rehabilitation Exercises in Healthy Postmenopausal Women

“…39 Histograms and the KolmogorovSmirnov test were used to explore assumptions of normality. 21 As data were not normally distributed, a Friedman test was performed to detect whether differences in muscle activity existed across the exercises.…”

“…There are, however, numerous studies that have examined levels of GMed muscle activity across a range of potential rehabilitation exercises using EMG. 39 A major limitation of these studies is the use of surface electrodes to record activity of the GMed. 5,32,33,39,41 Surface electrode signals of middle GMed activity are known to be susceptible to cross-talk from surrounding muscles, 46 and it is not possible to record activity from the anterior and posterior portions of the GMed, given their deep anatomical location.…”

“…39 A major limitation of these studies is the use of surface electrodes to record activity of the GMed. 5,32,33,39,41 Surface electrode signals of middle GMed activity are known to be susceptible to cross-talk from surrounding muscles, 46 and it is not possible to record activity from the anterior and posterior portions of the GMed, given their deep anatomical location. 45 Another limitation of these studies is that they typically evaluated gluteal function in young, often healthy populations, 39 which limited the generalizability of their findings to older adults, in whom gluteal atrophy is common.…”