Butt, heiny, rear, fanny, cheeks… Words used to describe those two bubbles that follow close behind us wherever we go. Those bubbles are perfect padding for sitting, great for shaking on the dance floor and just a nice beginning to the tops of our legs. But is there a deeper purpose beneath all that glory? Our behinds, although often aesthetically pleasing, are not just form, they’re function. Let’s talk anatomy.
The “butt” is made up of several layers of muscle. The biggest, most superficial layer is the Gluteus Maximus. Below the Gluteus maximus are the Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus, Pirifomis, Quadratus Femoris, Obturator Internus, Inferior Gamellus, and Superior Gamellus. These muscles combine together to make an excellent foundation of support for the spine above. If properly balanced with the abdominal muscles, and the rest of the pelvic floor, the stress on the lumbar spine during activity is relatively minimal.
Since the cessation of a time when survival required us to seek-out and do battle with our dinner, we no longer utilize these muscles as intensively or frequently as we once did. Look around, check out people’s butts. They are either, flat and non-existent, or they are of such significant proportion that while impressive, are little more then soft cushions for one to sit on. When I test patients on their ability to actively contract their Gluteals, half of my patient population cannot actually find their butt muscles with their brain. Let me use a more familiar muscle as an analogy. If I asked you to contract your bicep muscle you could fire off those receptors immediately. You would flex your arm and a ball of well-contracted muscle would appear. “Bam, check out these guns!” you might add. When I ask the same patient to fire off their butt muscles with equal vigor I can see the brain trying but all I feel is a quiver beneath the padding at best. The brain is attempting to send signals down a little dirt path covered in weeds to those underutilized Gluteal muscles. Envision what should be happening; nerve signals flying down the equivalent of I-5 in teeny tiny sports cars creating signals so strong that those hieny muscles fire off like a cannon. “Bam!”
In order to strengthen our butt muscles first we must find them. Place one hand on each butt cheek. Then squeeze your butt muscles to create a contraction. Once you become successful with the action of squeezing your butt, try holding the contraction for counts of ten. The next, more advanced, move is to alternately contract each butt muscle at varying speeds. These exercises are great while driving in the car or while brushing your teeth. If per chance you are struggling to get a good contraction from your Gluteal muscles let me provide you with an analogy. Suppose I held up a hundred dollar bill and said “If you carry this across the room only using your butt muscles it’s yours.” I imagine you would locate those muscles fairly rapidly.
The complexity of the many muscles that make up your heiny is not the subject of today. I simply wish to remind you that your buttocks are not attached to your body just to look splendid in your jeans. What you need to ponder is the simple truth that the Gluteal muscles will not stand by and be ignored. If left unattended they will become flaccid and weak, and will subsequently show their displeasure with your neglect in the form of back pain. Give your butt the attention it needs and deserves. These glorious, paired, harbingers of strength must be active members of the team if you are going to have successful and long-term support of the lumbar spine.
Written by Heather Denniston DC
Some excellent exercises for your beautiful butt!
DONKEY KICKS
BODY WEIGHT SQUATS
BALL EXTENSIONS
LUNGES
STAIRS
HILLS
