Exploring Lower Back Pain – Gluteus mimimus

After yesterday’s hill repeats, I felt fine. Didn’t stretch enough, but sometimes life intervenes. Cooking, writing, cutting wood for the stove for chilly mornings, ministering unto Cat, watering the vegetables, whatever, so stretching can be neglected.

This morning, I had that only too familiar pain in my right lower back. Not in the spot that the Psoas major does it’s thing. More deep, and kind of lateral feeling.

Do I take some pain killers (poisons), go for an X-ray? See a chiropractor? A sports physician? Perhaps have an MRI, after waiting hours in the ER. NO WAY! I explore the problem, gently.

This is an old problem for me, tightness of my right Gluteus minimus. I has a tendency to get upset after certain exercises. I explored this ages ago, and found there is only one way to get it to let go (apart from dry needling, one time – ouch!).

I stretch my left (opposite, contralateral) hamstrings. Yes! To fix this right lower back pain, I stretch my left hamstrings. I have a chronic battle with tight left hamstrings, all three of them (Biceps femoris, Semimembranosus, Semitendinosis), especially the middle one. Stretch it, and that Gluteus minimus pain melts away. It would appear that those tight hamstrings yank on my pelvis, putting load on that particular glute.

How did I work this out? Sitting on the gym floor, gently exploring every possible muscle that could be unbalancing my pelvis, and carefully stretching (lengthening) the beast.

Another aging problem solved, thanks to science (well, anatomy and patience!)

Back to writing the sequel to my first novel, “Scientist in the Dark,” then some training that my glute minimus will like.

Cheers,

-kev aka FitOldDog

PS If you don’t think exercise is important as you train for aging, your whole life, look at these MRIs through the thighs of three guys.

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