Objective: To examine gluteus medius (GMed) muscle activity while performing standing hip abduction exercise in the
transverse plane at different angles
Material and Method: Muscle activity of both sides of the GMed was measured by electromyography (EMG) with a sampling frequency of 1,500 Hz. Participants were asked to perform standing hip abduction exercise in the transverse plane at different angles including 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°. Percent maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of average EMG of GMed muscles was reported from three trials for each limb. Repeated-measure ANOVA was used to analyze the data.
Results: Nine healthy volunteers were included in the present study. The finding indicated that angle of hip motion in the
transverse plane significantly (p<0.05) affects GMed muscle activity of swing and stance limbs. Standing hip abduction
exercise at 30° in the transverse plane was observed to produce the highest EMG of swing limb (64.68% MVIC) than other
angles. In stance limb, a decreasing trend of GMed muscle activity while performing standing hip abduction exercise was
noted from 0° to 90° in the transverse plane, respectively.
Conclusion: GMed muscle activities of swing and stance limbs during hip abduction exercise exhibited the highest EMG at
30° and 0° in the transverse plane, respectively. Therefore, these exercises of GMed muscle could be suggested for early
rehabilitation. Standing exercises with 0° and 30° hip abductions might be suitable for weight bearing and non-weight
bearing purposes.

Keywords: Gluteus medius, Muscle activity, Standing hip abduction exercise