Injury Report: Glute Spasms
The reason I am writing today’s INJURY REPORT about gluteal spasms is because I recently suffered from this. I had worked out glutes hard that day. Then later that night, I was sitting on the floor and wrapping presents. Well I leaned forward awkwardly and had immediate right glute pain. The muscles seized up and remained in a heightened state. So being a Physical Therapist, I went right to work to treat myself.
So I am going to lay out the steps towards self treatment for you. Now be aware that if the true diagnosis of your hip pain is different than just a muscle spasm, your treatment options would be different. These apply only if you have purely muscle spasms.
#1 HEAT
Place a hot pack or heating pad on the area for 10-15 minutes. Do this while lying down so the muscles are able to relax and calm down.
#2 SELF MASSAGE
Start gently by rubbing on the muscles that are angry. Once you can tolerate it, begin to add more and more pressure. If there are any muscle knots, hold pressure on that spot. Even if it hurts- it’s a good pain.
#3 MOBILIZE
Now it is time to mobilize your lower back and hips in case they are contributing to the muscle spasms. So lie on your back to perform “lower trunk rotations”:
Also perform “bow and arrows”:
And “lower trunk drops”
#4 STRETCH
Stretch your glutes. This may be done several different ways:
#5 LIGHT STRENGTHENING
Perform some gentle core and glute strengthening to stabilize your pelvic region.
#6 REST
Take it easy over the next few days. Rest from the gym. When you are feeling better, you can go back to upper body workouts. But don’t go a glute workout until you feel 100% better.
