The gluteal musculature includes a variety of muscles with different tasks. It enables people to perform certain movements. The muscles already play an important role in everyday life. At the same time, certain diseases of the gluteal muscles can be responsible for discomfort.
What are gluteal muscles?
The gluteal muscles consist mainly of the large, medium and small gluteal muscles. Functionally, it is part of the hip musculature. The different muscles have differentiated tasks and functions. The cooperation of the different muscles is particularly important for proper function. At the same time, the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body. Moreover, it is one of the strongest and covers the middle as well as the small gluteal muscle. The large gluteal muscle is part of the skeletal musculature. This is characterized by different factors. Of particular importance is the fact that it is an voluntary muscle. Voluntary muscles are characterized by the fact that they can be moved consciously and their movement processes are not subject to unconscious mechanisms, as is the case, for example, with the heart muscle. The gluteal muscles not only perform permanently important tasks in everyday life. They can also be trained through certain exercises. In doing so, the individual muscles must be addressed in different ways during sports.
Anatomy and structure
The large gluteal muscle uses almost the entire surface of the buttocks. The muscle structure consists of units that become progressively smaller. First, the muscle is surrounded by a membrane. At this point, a large number of muscle fibers bundle together to form the actual muscle. The muscle fibers differentiate into phasic and tonic subtypes. They are formed by muscle fibrils, which in turn consist of sarcomeres. These contain proteins that the body needs to be able to move the muscle. There are four different proteins: Actin, Myosin, Tropomyosin and Troponin. Muscle is built in a certain structure. As soon as it is examined with the help of certain instruments, a pattern resembling transverse stripes emerges. That is why the musculature is also called transverse striated. The structure of the gluteal muscles thus follows the encapsis principle:
The large gluteus muscle (Musculus gluteus maximus) consists of a superficial and deep part. While the deep part originates from the iliac crest, the upper one is broad. This originates from the sacrum, coccyx, lumbar region and iliac spine. The middle gluteus medius muscle is almost completely covered by the large gluteus medius muscle. It is located on the ilium and runs in the direction of the femur. The small gluteus muscle (Musculus gluteus minimus), in turn, is located under the middle one and is covered by it. It forms the posterior layer of the posterior hip muscles. Again, the origin of the muscle is at the ilium. It runs transversely and also tends to the femur.
Function and tasks
The different gluteal muscles also have differentiated tasks. In their interaction, moreover, further functions arise. Only through the existence of the gluteal muscles is it possible for people to sit, for example. In addition, the individual elements enable movement sequences such as standing up, lying down or climbing stairs. These can only take place if the parts work together properly. As soon as the function of one of the three muscles is disturbed, this can also affect the others. In this case, the complaints that occur depend to a large extent on the muscle that is directly affected. The gluteus maximus is responsible for stabilizing the pelvis. It also plays an important role in the upright gait. Here, especially the extension in the hip joint is crucial. In addition, the large gluteal muscle enables people to pull or spread their legs towards the body. It prevents the pelvis from tilting, which is useful when climbing stairs, for example. The middle gluteal muscle is responsible for stabilizing the pelvis during walking. In doing so, it works together with the small gluteal muscle. In addition, the medial gluteal muscle allows internal and external rotation of the thighs to take place. Like the small gluteal muscle, the middle one helps with flexion and extension in certain positions.The function of the small and medium gluteal muscle is very similar. All three muscles play an important role in everyday life in all movements.
Diseases and complaints
Different diseases exist that can affect the gluteal muscles. These include paralysis, for example. As soon as paralysis of one of the three muscles occurs, movement is severely restricted. Those affected are often no longer able to adequately flex and extend their thighs. This results in discomfort when sitting, standing up, walking, standing and climbing stairs. If the middle and small gluteal muscles are paralyzed at the same time, it cannot be ruled out that the pelvis tilts to the free leg side, resulting in the so-called waddling gait. In addition, other diseases can affect the muscles. For example, various forms of inflammation exist. These are usually triggered by bacteria, but viruses and other pathogens are also potentially involved. In most cases, the pathogens enter the muscle through another infection in the body and trigger further inflammation there. This can become chronic under certain circumstances. Hardening is also possible if the muscle is constantly strained. As soon as the muscle is permanently tensed, but no relaxation takes place, the blood vessels, which are responsible for the blood supply of the muscle, are pinched off. This results in inflammation, to which the body in turn reacts with increased tension. In many cases, the hardening can be palpated and triggers severe pain.
