Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnatomyFunctionAssociated ConditionsRehabilitation
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anatomy
Function
Associated Conditions
Rehabilitation
The gluteus minimus is the smallest muscle of the gluteal muscles. Together with thegluteus maximusandgluteus medius, these three muscles make up the glutes. Your glutes help shape your butt, stabilize your hips, rotate your legs, and raise your thigh. The gluteus minimus and gluteus medius specifically help the gluteus maximus raise your leg out to the side as well as rotate your thigh inwards.
The gluteus minimus muscle is triangular in shape and lies underneath the gluteus medius near the rotators of the hip joints. It starts in the lower part of theilium—the upper and largest part of the hip bone that makes up the pelvis. It attaches to thefemur(the thighbone).
The gluteus medius muscle starts on the upper part of the ilium, so it covers the gluteus minimus muscle completely. Because of its location, the gluteus minimus muscle covers the sciatic notch, an area in the pelvis that holds the piriformis muscle, superior gluteal vein, and superior gluteal artery, helping offer some protection.
Separating the gluteus minimus and the gluteus medius are superior gluteal nerves and blood vessels. The gluteus minimus’ structure is similar to the gluteus medius’, as both look like fans with two sets of fibers. The fibers on the top part of the muscle are thick and compact, while the lower fibers are flat and spread out more.
Gluteus Medius Pain: What Are My Treatment Options?
The function of the gluteus minimus is to act as a flexor, abductor (swinging the leg out away from the body), and rotator (turning the leg in toward the body).
How it moves depends on the location of the femur. When the thigh is extended, it helps abduct. When the hip bones are flexed, the gluteus minimus rotates the thigh inward with the help of thegluteus medius. These movements are done with the help of the muscle fibers above and below the muscle, which contract to move the thigh in both directions.
Both the gluteus minimus and the gluteus medius also help to stabilize the hips and pelvis when in motion and when at rest.
For a gluteus minimus tear, the pain will occur on the outside of the hip, especially when rolling onto the affected side. Activities like walking and exercising may also be painful. A gluteus minimus tear can happen suddenly—there may not be any particular activity that caused the tear to occur aside from daily use and stress on the muscle.
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There are a few options to treat a gluteus minimus tear, depending on the severity of the condition. Often times, rest, ice, and over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen or Tylenol to help reduce swelling and ease pain. For pain that is not subsiding, it’s recommended to see your healthcare provider, who may run tests like an MRI or X-ray to see the condition of the muscle and rule out other pain causes.
Many times your healthcare provider will refer you to aphysical therapist, who can evaluate the strength of your gluteus minimus and provide you with a list of exercises and stretches to help repair the muscle while conditioning the surrounding muscles around the gluteus minimus.
Exercises to Strengthen the Hip Muscles
Depending on the level of pain, sometimes a healthcare provider will prescribe treatment with a physical therapist in addition to acortisone injectionto the gluteus minimus muscle. This will help quickly ease the pain so that you’re able to do the physical therapy exercises comfortably, allowing the gluteus minimus muscle to heal properly and get stronger.
A Word From Verywell
If you have gluteus minimus pain and are unsure where to start to deal with it, or don’t know how to find a physical therapist, start with an appointment to your general practitioner. They can help diagnose your lower extremity pain and point you in the right direction for finding a physical therapist if needed.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.ScienceDirect.Gluteus minimus muscle.Reid D.The management of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A systematic literature review.J Orthop. 2016;13(1):15-28. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2015.12.006SportsRec.Physical therapy exercises for the gluteus minimus.Labrosse JM, Cardinal E, Leduc BE, et al.Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for the treatment of gluteus medius tendinopathy.AJR Am J Roentgenol.2010;194(1):202-6. doi:10.2214/AJR.08.1215Additional ReadingWhiler L, Fong M, Kim S, et al.Gluteus medius and minimus muscle structure, strength, and function in healthy adults: Brief report. Physiother Can. 2017;69(3):212-216. doi:10.3138/ptc.2016-16
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.ScienceDirect.Gluteus minimus muscle.Reid D.The management of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A systematic literature review.J Orthop. 2016;13(1):15-28. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2015.12.006SportsRec.Physical therapy exercises for the gluteus minimus.Labrosse JM, Cardinal E, Leduc BE, et al.Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for the treatment of gluteus medius tendinopathy.AJR Am J Roentgenol.2010;194(1):202-6. doi:10.2214/AJR.08.1215Additional ReadingWhiler L, Fong M, Kim S, et al.Gluteus medius and minimus muscle structure, strength, and function in healthy adults: Brief report. Physiother Can. 2017;69(3):212-216. doi:10.3138/ptc.2016-16
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
ScienceDirect.Gluteus minimus muscle.Reid D.The management of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A systematic literature review.J Orthop. 2016;13(1):15-28. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2015.12.006SportsRec.Physical therapy exercises for the gluteus minimus.Labrosse JM, Cardinal E, Leduc BE, et al.Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for the treatment of gluteus medius tendinopathy.AJR Am J Roentgenol.2010;194(1):202-6. doi:10.2214/AJR.08.1215
ScienceDirect.Gluteus minimus muscle.
Reid D.The management of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A systematic literature review.J Orthop. 2016;13(1):15-28. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2015.12.006
SportsRec.Physical therapy exercises for the gluteus minimus.
Labrosse JM, Cardinal E, Leduc BE, et al.Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for the treatment of gluteus medius tendinopathy.AJR Am J Roentgenol.2010;194(1):202-6. doi:10.2214/AJR.08.1215
Whiler L, Fong M, Kim S, et al.Gluteus medius and minimus muscle structure, strength, and function in healthy adults: Brief report. Physiother Can. 2017;69(3):212-216. doi:10.3138/ptc.2016-16
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