Proximal attachments: Gluteal surface of the Ilium

Distal attachment: Lateral aspect of the Greater Trochanter of the Femur

Actions: 

Hip internal rotation (femur rotating in) and hip abduction (leg kicking out away from the midline)

Unique Features: 

The glute medius is one of the four gluteal muscles that contribute to hip and pelvic motion. The glute medius is deep to the glute max but only the posterior third of the muscle is covered by glute max. The lateral to anterior portion of the glute med is only covered by the deep fascia of the hip. The posterior portion of this muscle is slightly anterior to the piriformis muscle and in some cases, these two muscles can blend (share fascia).

Glute medius is a very important pelvic stabilizer. Just as with the other hip muscles, if the leg is fixed, the muscle will act on the pelvis. In the case of walking (Gait), the glute medius muscle is what keeps the pelvis from dropping to the opposite side when standing on one leg. In the picture below, we see that if the gluteus medius functions properly, the pelvis stays level. If it does not function properly, the pelvis drops towards the other side resulting in a Trendelenburg sign. It’s important to remember that the side that drops is the healthy side, while the side that remains high is the side of the dysfunctional gluteus medius. Simply having someone stand on one leg for 30-60 seconds is a great way to assess the functioning of Gluteus medius.



(Right Glute Med dysfunction resulting in the left side of the pelvis dropping during gait)

If the Gluteus Medius is unable to stabilize the hip, it’s not uncommon to see the opposite side Quadratus Lumborum overworking. As the hip hiker, it will compensate by trying to keep the hip from dropping with each step. For that reason, anyone who has low back pain on one side should be assessed for the functioning of their gluteus medius. 

Trigger Point and Pain Referral Patterns:

The pain referral pattern for Gluteus Medius is similar to the pain pattern of Gluteus Maximus, felt along the edge of the scrum or towards the greater trochanter of the femur.

Images sources from Biodigitalhuman @ human.biodigital.com