Last year, I had quite a bit of low back pain. After seeing a physical therapist, I stayed pain free so long as I did the exercises the therapist prescribed. The exercises that seemed to help the most involved the muscles in my buttocks. What do these muscles do?

Muscles in the buttocks extend through the hip and play a major role in movement. These muscles help stabilize the pelvis when the trunk or back rotates above. Buttock muscles also help when the body is pushed off balance.

The buttock muscles work hard during all walking or running movements. By working with other muscles, the buttock muscles transfer the force and load from the legs to the back. These muscles also help keep your pelvis level and steady when standing on one leg. It may not seem like this happens very often, but half of walking involves standing on one leg.

Several studies show that the strength of the buttock muscles is directly linked to low back pain. Weaker muscles mean a greater chance of back pain.