3 Stand upright and palpate your gluteus medius muscles just

3. Stand upright and palpate your gluteus medius muscles just proximal to the greater trochanters. Keep your hands in place and shift your weight over to one leg then over to the opposite leg. What do you notice? When do you feel your gluteus medius muscles working the most? What are they doing when they are working?

Solution

This muscle is the largest of the gluteal group. Its origin is the posterior line of the upper ilium, the posterior surface of the lower sacrum, and the side of the coccyx. Its insertion is two-fold: First, the lower and larger portion of the gluteus maximus end with a thick tendon that passes through the greater trochanter (hip) into the iliotibial band.

The gluteus medius (G-med, pictured right) originates on the outer surface of the ilium above and in front of the anterior gluteal line. It also originates at the gluteal aponeurosis.