The Forgotten Muscle

A potential culprit for your nagging ailments

While most are well aware of the largest single muscle in the human body — the gluteus maximus — the majority aren’t so familiar with its close relatives. Even the nickname “glutes” isn’t solely referring to the maximus (i.e., the main portion of the butt cheek) as many assume.

It actually envelops three different muscles around the hip.

Those being the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

Again, the “glutes” for short.

And one of these in particular is imperative to talk about, the gluteus medius or “GMed” (sounded out as Glute “Meed”).

The GMed is situated directly underneath and adjacent to the gluteus maximus and runs from the pelvis to the top and lateral side of the thigh bone. While it has many, its primary functions are to abduct the hip joint (a fancy way of saying lifting the leg out to the side) and keep the pelvis stabilized.

The GMed is highlighted in red below whereas the maximus is the larger muscle directly below it.

The pelvic stabilization function is crucial in single-limb activities such as walking, jogging, negotiating stairs, and so on.

And with the pelvis being where the upper body and lower body meet, you can imagine that keeping it stable might be something to strive for. However with the increased time we spend sedentary due to technological advancements and the nature of most jobs, the GMed often isn’t challenged enough.

What happens when we don’t put enough stress on a muscle over time?