How Weak Buttocks Ruin the Runner

“The gluteus medius should be considered in every running injury.”

This is the opening statement of Sean Fyfe in his recent (and now best selling) Sports Injury Bulletin report into exactly how weak buttocks ruin the runner.

“The gluteus medius should be considered in every running injury.”

This is the opening statement of Sean Fyfe in his recent (and now best selling) Sports Injury Bulletin report into exactly how weak buttocks ruin the runner.

This brilliant report is available to you today, free with Gold Membership to Sports Injury Bulletin.

An experienced Australian sports physio and regular contributor to SIB, Fyfe explains his thinking:

“So many athletes with running overuse injuries of the lower limb present with poor gluteus medius function that I have come to the view that the strength and function of this muscle is probably the most important active component in the achievement of a biomechanically efficient running technique.”

The deep-lying gluteus medius muscle is normally associated with movement, but as your free report into the subject points out, its key role in running is to act as a stabilising force, to slow the downward drive of the pelvis on the opposite side during stance phase.

This pelvic restraint prevents excessive hip sway or roll of the type that is classically known as “Trendelenburg gait”.

But even short of the tell-tale waddle of a Trendelenburg, there are various adaptations that runners make to compensate for weakness in gluteus medius.

All these various compensations can herald potentially chronic injury for the runner, including shin splints and Achilles tendinitis.