Glute bridges are helpful if done correctly.
Why this matters:
You’ll often see glute bridges in a sciatica pain relief program. Why? It’s for a number of reasons. Glute weakness, glute inactivation, inability to extend at the hips, the need for hip and back extension.
The idea behind glute bridges is to extend (kick back) the legs. This is often seen in walking, and standing.
However, a lot of programs describe how to do glute bridges incorrectly. As a result, pain worsens and we still continue to program these without any specific reasoning.
It is important for you to understand why you’re doing an exercise.
Action steps:
If you’re currently being prescribed glute bridges, ask your therapist or coach why they are programming them for you. Are they helpful? Do you feel more or less pain when doing this?
If you’re considering doing glute bridges, the key is to truly use the glutes and hips.Here’s my favorite glute bridge variation.
