Best Gluteus Medius Exercises for a Hip Replacement

I am so excited about this.

I have not done this in a few weeks.

It is “dig into the research and see what is new when it comes to exercises and injuries”.

I know, it is a little strange but we all have our passions or weaknesses.

Let’s get to it. I found some great stuff for you.

Everything from your quadriceps to your calves may have been affected if you had a hip replacement. Because the gluteus medius muscles are located on the front and back of both thighs, they can be difficult to work if you have a hip replacement and have limited abduction. Here we’ll look at some of the best gluteus medius exercises for someone with a hip replacement. Even with a hip replacement, it’s still possible to strengthen this important muscle group.

Gluteus Medius Exercises They Tested

These are the gluteus medius exercises they tested in the study:

Resisted hip extension
Side-lying hip abduction with wall-sliding
Hip clam exercises with neutral hips
Prone heel squeezes
Resisted terminal knee extension
Hip extension
Double-leg bridges
Side-lying hip abduction with internal hip rotation
Stool hip rotations
Single-leg bridges
Resisted knee flexion

This is a great list of exercises and a few of them are new to me. I will work on getting some videos up for you.

Highlights of the Study

The big highlight was the continuum they recommended based on their research. It is great. Here it is:

Phase I – Initial 4 or 8 weeks

Resisted terminal knee extension
Resisted knee flexion
Double-leg bridges

Phase II – subsequent 4 weeks

Resisted hip extension
Stool hip rotations
Side-lying hip abduction with wall-sliding

Phase II – final 4 weeks

Prone heel squeezes
Side-lying hip abduction with internal hip rotation
Single-leg bridges

Key Exercise Rehabilitation Program Design Notes

Exercises involving hip rotation were avoided in phase I.
Hip clam exercises with neutral hips is an exercise that people with hip flexor tendinitis should be cautious of.

Last Word from Rick Kaselj

Not much to say, the program above is a keeper.

Here is one more exercise that I like for gluteus medius:

Can Hip Weakness Lead to Patellofemoral Syndrome?

What They Looked At

The study looked to see if hip muscle weakness was a factor that leads to the patellofemoral syndrome.

Prior to a 10-week “start to run” program, they tested the isometric strength of the hip abduction, flexors, extensors, internal rotators, adductors, and external rotators in 77 healthy female novice runners.

They had an orthopedic surgeon assess and diagnose the runners.

Highlights of the Study

They did not find any significant difference in isometric hip strength in the runners who ended up having patellofemoral syndrome and those that did not.