The Gluteus Minimus muscle is one of the lesser-known muscles that can cause a ton of pain in the lower back and glutes. One easy way to find relief from Gluteus Minimus pain is through stretching. Here are a few of my favorite Gluteus Minimus stretch exercises to help relieve tension and potential pain!
Gluteus Minimus Pain Pattern
Why Gluteus Minimus Stretch?
Gluteus Minimus stretches are an easy, non-invasive way to relieve muscle tension and the physical pain felt as a result. If you feel pain in the pattern represented above - before you try drastic measures like surgery or expensive measures like an MRI - see if these Gluteus Minimus stretches help you out.
The goal of a Gluteus Minimus stretch is to lengthen the muscle and release tension. When done effectively, muscles slacken to return to their normal length, pressure is relieved off of nerves, and muscular imbalances are corrected.
Gluteus Minimus Stretch Examples
Gluteus Minimus Stretch 1: Foam Roll With Figure Four Stretch
This is my favorite Gluteus Minimus stretch for 1 reason: it leverages tissue massage work coupled with a stretch to increase the strain on the muscle - forcing the muscle to stretch. The foam rolling aspect will help work out the Gluteus Minimus trigger points that may be difficult to stretch on their own.
Gluteus Minimus Stretch 2: Pigeon Stretch
The Pigeon Gluteus Minimus stretch is also awesome. This stretch targets not only Gluteus Minimus but also Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus, and Piriformis. To increase the difficulty, lean the upper body towards the front leg and the ground. If you can touch your forehead to your foot - that is a great standard/metric to hit!
The first stretch in the video below shows you exactly how to do the Pigeon Gluteus Minimus stretch, and queues to be aware of:
Gluteus Minimus Stretch Didn't Work?
If stretching the Gluteus Minimus muscle didn't find you any relief, the next things I would inspect are a) deeper trigger points, or b) other muscles at play.
Trigger Points: Deep Gluteus Minimus trigger points can often be too hyperactive and stiff to stretch. The way to attack stubborn trigger points is via deep tissue massage, either by the hands of a professional or at home with a Gluteus Minimus release tool like QL Claw.
After Gluteus Minimus Stretch
Once you successfully massage and stretch Gluteus Minimus for pain relief, it can be very beneficial to strengthen the muscle to build resilience against future pain. A strong, high-endurance Gluteus Minimus muscle is protective against not only Gluteus Minimus pain but also lower back and hip pain as a whole. Check out the link below for some of the best Gluteus Minimus Exercises!
Additional Resources:
Flexible Back (Stretching): The complete stretching program and principles for breaking through your stiffness contributing to pain. The elephant walk exercise is one of many tools utilized in this program.
Back Of Steel (Strengthening): The total strengthening regimen for building up every weak point in an underdeveloped back system.
Sources:
[1] Donnelly, Joseph M. Travell, Simons & Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019.
[2] Davies, Clair, and Amber Davies. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief. 3rd ed., New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2013.