Introduction
This video is good to watch before proceeding! This just explains where your glutes are in relation to your pelvis, to help you target them a little bit better.
Video
Description
This exercise is trying to “loosen up” your glute muscles by rolling them with a ball! This version (the wall) is usually performed when pain is more severe and floor version is not tolerable without a lot of pain. This may also be recommended if you have mobility issues.
What you should feel
You will be rolling over the “tight and sore” spots in your gluteal muscles. These spots are myofascial trigger points (muscle knots) that you will be trying to loosen up. You can expect this to be a little bit sore, but it needs to be tolerable. You have to be able to relax while you do these exercises. Too much pain will cause you to tense up and will reduce the effectiveness of the rolling. When you are rolling, you can expect it to feel like a massage (if you’ve had one). It should be a combination of relieving and sore at the same time!
Stop this exercise if you are unsure about what you are feeling or if it is painful in an unexpected way.
Glute Rolling – Wall Version
Instructions
Here are the instructions and there is a video below that explains it all:
- A lacrosse ball is preferred, because it is very firm, it doesn’t slide away easily (it sticks to the wall a bit) and it is small enough to “get into the notches” of your pelvis, where your glutes area.
- Find your iliac crest, as explained in the intro video and the exercise video. This is the “crest of your pelvis” and just below the ridge will be your glutes. Your glutes attach to the outside of the pelvis and cover a very big area (watch the intro video).
- Place the ball on the wall and lean against it with your glutes.
- Roll back and forth, until you find the “tight and sore” spots that we’re looking for. I most likely identified one or two spots in the clinic for you to roll!
- When you find a spot, spend some extra time doing smaller amplitude rolling over the spot. You need to apply enough pressure that you’re doing something (massaging it) but not so much pressure that you’re tensing up due to pain. There is a “sweet zone” that you need to find.
- How long you spend on each sore spot depends on your case, but I usually recommend about 1 minute. After 1 minute, keep rolling around until you find another spot and repeat.
- You’ll probably find 2-3 “spots” to roll out! Sometimes a bit more!
Parameters
mdkPHYSIO provides specific parameters to all patients. In general, 1-minute per trigger point (tight and sore spot) is spent. After you’re done, you will have probably spent 2-4 minutes doing this. The frequency (times per day) is also dependent on your case. Too much can cause a flare-up, while too little may not do enough!
