Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
Published on: May 16, 2021
Gluteus medius muscle activation during isometric muscle contractions
Catriona O'Dwyer1, David Sainsbury, Kieran O'Sullivan
1Dept of Physiotherapy, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Context:
Functional subdivisions are proposed to exist in the gluteus medius (GM) muscle. Dysfunction of the GM, in particular its functional subdivisions, is commonly implicated in lower limb pathologies. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence examining the role of the subdivisions of the GM.
Objectives:
To compare the activation of the functional subdivisions of the GM (anterior, middle, and posterior) during isometric hip contractions.
Design:
Single-session, repeated-measures observational study.
Setting:
University research laboratory.
Participants:
Convenience sample of 15 healthy, pain-free subjects.
Intervention:
Subjects performed 3 maximal voluntary isometric contractions for hip abduction and internal and external rotation on an isokinetic dynamometer with simultaneous recording of surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of the GM subdivisions.
Main Outcome Measures:
sEMG muscle activity for each functional subdivision of the GM during each hip movement was analyzed using a 1-way repeated-measures ANOVA (post hoc Bonferroni).
Results:
The response of GM subdivisions during the 3 different isometric contractions was significantly different (interaction effect; P = .003). The anterior GM displayed significantly higher activation across all 3 isometric contractions than the middle and posterior subdivisions (main effect; both P < .001). The middle GM also demonstrated significantly higher activation than the posterior GM across all 3 isometric contractions (main effect; P = .027). There was also significantly higher activation of all 3 subdivisions during both abduction and internal rotation than during external rotation (main effect; both P < .001).
Conclusions:
The existence of functional subdivisions in the GM appears to be supported by the findings. Muscle activation was not homogeneous throughout the entire muscle. The highest GM activation was found in the anterior GM subdivision and during abduction and internal rotation. Future studies should examine the role of GM functional subdivisions in subjects with lower limb pathologies.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Muscles that Move the Thigh
Three other significant muscles are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus originates from the posterior surface of the ilium, sacrum, and coccyx, and the thoracolumbar fascia...
01:22Isotonic and Isometric Muscle Contractions
Isotonic contractions
Isotonic contractions occur when a muscle changes length while the...
01:23Muscles that Move the Leg
Anterior Compartment
The quadriceps femoris, the most visible muscle of the anterior compartment, is integral for leg extension and thigh flexion. It is formed by merging four distinct muscles — the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. The quadriceps tendon, a shared tendon of the four quadriceps muscles, is affixed to...
01:15Muscle Contraction
01:10Muscle Contraction
01:20Motor Unit Stimulation
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...