![]() ![]() The pelvis is incredibly important toward spinal posture and motion. Tip for teachers: Teach the reverse (closed-chain) actions of muscles, especially those that attach to the pelvis. It is often its most important action, even if you did not learn it in school! Tip for students: Always look for the reverse action of a muscle. You will feel the gluteus medius contract on the support-limb side every time! (In fact, as discussed later in this blog post aticle, you do not even have to actually lift a foot off the floor you can experience the same activation of the gluteus medius by simply shifting your weight from foot to foot.) Then slowly walk in place by lifting one foot at a time. You can easily test this by standing up and palpating the gluteus medius on both sides by palpating immediately distal to the midpoint of the iliac crest on each side. This is the major/true function of the gluteus medius! Every time we take a step, the gluteus medius on the ’support-limb’ side contracts to stabilize the pelvis. My left-sided (support-limb) gluteus medius prevents this by isometrically contracting and pulling downward on the left side of the pelvis, thereby preventing the pelvis from falling to the right. Elsevier, 2017.įor example, if I lift my right foot to take a step, my pelvis should fall to the right side. Kinesiology – The Skeletal System and Muscle Function, 3ed. B, Reverse closed-chain action of depression of the pelvis at the hip joint. A, Standard open-chain action of abduction of the thigh at the hip joint. The major function of the gluteus medius is to stabilize the pelvis with this downward direction of pull.įigure 2. If one side of the pelvis is pulled down, the other side is elevated (also known as “hiking the hip”). ![]() Therefore, when the gluteus medius contracts, the force of its pull is exerted on the pelvis instead, pulling it in the downward direction, known as depression or lateral tilt to that side. When the foot is on the ground (described as a closed-chain position), the thigh is not free to move. It is the role of the gluteus medius on the opposite support-limb side of the body to prevent this. This should cause our pelvis to fall to that (’swing-limb’) side. However, when we walk and take a step by lifting one foot up, our body weight is no longer balanced and instead is unsupported in thin air. When standing, our weight is balanced over our two feet. This occurs most often during the gait cycle (walking). The major function of this muscle is its ‘reverse action’ (closed-chain action) when the thigh is fixed and it pulls on the pelvis (Figure 2B), not its usually thought of “standard action” (open-chain action) when the pelvis is fixed and it pulls on the thigh (Figure 2A)! The Muscular System Manual – The Skeletal Muscles of the Human Body, 4th ed. Lateral view of the right gluteus medius. After all, how often in life do we really need to lift our thigh out to the side of our body? This may be what is taught in school and written in most books, but it does not reflect its major (“true”) function in everyday life.įigure 1. Even though this is an action of the muscle and the one that most everyone learns in school, it is not its most important function. If you ask someone what the function of this muscle is, most likely you will be told that it abducts the thigh at the hip joint. The gluteus medius (Figure 1) is a muscle that all students and therapists are aware of we all learn it. ![]() The Major (“True”) Function of the Gluteus Medius
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