glutes

Background: Deep gluteal syndrome (DGS) is an increasingly recognized cause of posterior hip pain, particularly in athletes and physically act give individuals. It results from entrapment of neural structures within the deep gluteal space, frequently associated with musculotendinous imbalance, repetitive hip movements, and sport-specific biomechanical stress. Purpose: To systematically describe the musculotendinous and neural entrapment mechanisms underlying DGS, with particular focus on clinical presentation, imaging findings, and management strategies in athletes. Furthermore, a secondary aim was to evaluate the frequency and clinical relevance of DGS-related conditions reported in athletes. Methods: A systematic descriptive review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Studies addressing anatomical predispositions, clinical features, imaging characteristics, and conservative or surgical treatment were included. Results: Eighty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. DGS encompasses multiple entrapment patterns involving the sciatic, pudendal, posterior femoral cutaneous and superior gluteal nerves. In athletes, repetitive hip flexion–adduction–internal rotation movements, overuse microtrauma and hypertrophic musculature appear to contribute to neural compression. Clinical diagnosis remains challenging due to symptom overlap with lumbar disorders. MRI represents the primary imaging modality, although findings may be subtle or nonspecific. Initial management is conservative, while endoscopic decompression may be indicated in refractory cases. Conclusion: There are seven clinical conditions that may cause DGS: ischiofemoral impingement, piriformis syndrome, gemelli-internal obturator syndrome, posterior femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment, superior gluteal nerve entrapment, pudendal neuropathy, and proximal hamstring syndrome. Therefore, DGS is an “umbrella term” that encompasses different pathologies resulting in very similar clinical presentations. In the athletic population, the two most frequent conditions are pudendal neuropathy and proximal hamstring syndrome.

matched text: “gluteal”

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent among physiotherapists and occupational therapists due to the physically demanding and repetitive nature of manual therapy techniques. Stretching requires therapists to exert substantial force while holding static postures for extended periods. Assistive devices may mitigate these ergonomic risks. This crossover study evaluated postural risk factors for WMSDs during lower-limb muscle stretching (targeting the hamstrings, calves, iliopsoas, quadriceps, hip adductors, hip abductors, and gluteal muscles) and compared manual with device-assisted techniques among 32 healthy practitioners (highly trained students and licensed therapists). Postural risk was evaluated using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and perceived comfort via a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects regression models. Device-assisted stretching significantly improved therapists’ posture (mean REBA score: 11.35 units lower, P < 0.001) and increased the odds of belonging to a lower WMSDs risk category by 69.17-fold. Furthermore, device-assisted stretching significantly enhanced participants’ comfort for nearly all muscle groups ( P < 0.010), with no period or carryover effects. These findings indicate that the assistive device can substantially reduce postural risk factors for WMSDs and improve comfort during lower-limb stretching. However, prospective clinical studies are needed to determine whether these postural improvements reduce the incidence of WMSDs.

matched text: “gluteal”