You have three glute muscles (maximus, medius, minimus)
Why this matters:
One of the common culprits of sciatica pain is the piriformis. But what if your piriformis is working just fine? We can also look at the other aspects of your hip, your glutes, aka your butt. The glutes consist of three muscles. The glute max is responsible for hip extension (kicking the leg back) and hip abduction (kick leg out) and external rotation (turn leg out). This muscle gets the most love and physical therapists often think that the weak glutes are the cause of low back pain and sciatica.
They’re not wrong.
But to overlook the other two muscles of the glutes is a disservice. The glute medius and minimus have a role in abduction the hip (kicking the leg out) and internal rotation (turning the leg in). But they also play a huge role in stabilizing your pelvis. This means the pelvis stays level with every single step. If you have pain when walking, but standing and sitting are fine, then your hips may be moving too much.
Action steps:The reverse clam shell helps address the smaller muscles of the hip, with the goal of stabilizing your pelvis with each step. I recommend about 10-15 repetitions for about 3 sets. See if there is a difference between the left and right side.
