Dead Butt Syndrome - You Should Worry About This

If you Googled “I can’t feel my ass”, then you’re in the right place—victims of sitting long hours - this blog’s for you. We’ve got three words for you - gluteus medius tendinosis. A literal pain in the butt. It happens to keyboard warriors - those sitting at desks all day or spending an unusual amount of time behind the wheel.

It starts with a little stiffness after you’ve had a long workday at your desk. That’s absolutely normal. It could be a tight hip flexor and lower back. But don’t become complacent. You might actually be experiencing gluteal amnesia or dead butt syndrome.

Don’t let the name fool you. It might sound silly, yes, but the side effects are serious. Your butt muscle, the gluteus maximus, is one of the strongest muscles in the body, one of its biggest shock absorbers.

When this gluteus maximus doesn’t work properly, it can cause many issues, such as hamstring tears, shin splits, sciatica and the dreaded arthritis in the knee. If left untreated, it can result in long-lasting pain and even cause issues with mobility.

While you will usually observe dead butt syndrome in people who remain seated for a long time, it also happens to people who perform a lot of repetitive movements, like runners and cyclists, especially if they abstain from cross-training.

But then, who do you blame for dead butt syndrome? An important part of the problem is that people have issues locating or engaging their gluteal muscles. Those muscles aren’t dead; they’re just really hard to find.

And why is that? It’s because people tend to support themselves with their lower back muscles, not their core muscles, resulting in increased compression on their lower back. Dead butt symptoms include a numb posterior, pain in the lower back and general discomfort.

Let us take, for instance, your biceps, which are muscles that are easy to locate, the bicep in the front of your upper arm. Since it is used often, your brain controls this muscle rather well. It is easy for you to squeeze one bicep to your full strength. Can you do that with your glutes?

If your glutes are never used, the brain-muscle control isn’t very good. Such lack of control makes your glutes feel as if they are either on or off, resulting in you over-engaging or not engaging at all.

Also, sitting for a long time can result in your glutes becoming weak or deconditioned, resulting in muscular imbalances, especially if you aren’t physically active. Imbalances can cause strains, making injury more likely. If your hip flexors are tight, that makes it worse. Sitting compresses the glutes, bringing down blood flow.

If you think that this affects people who sit constantly, think again. For people who perform repetitive movements, like cyclists, rowers, or horseback riders, constantly straining your glutes without rest or recovery can give you dead butt syndrome.

So, you discovered you have dead butt syndrome. What can you do? The important thing is that you learn how to engage your glutes. This is done so that your brain learns where it can find those muscles. Try some basic yoga poses or even pilates.

You might want to look up “pelvic tilt”, a position in which you lie on your back on the floor, keeping your knees bent, and flattening your back against the floor by tightening the abs and tilting your pelvis so you are effectively tucking your tail. It is very easy to assume you’re doing an exercise correctly.

However, you fall prey to unfavourable movement patterns or compensations. If you’re not really sure about engaging your core and glutes, speak to a personal trainer or a physical therapist so you can ace those moves.

Don’t sit constantly

If you find yourself sitting constantly, take a break. Get up and stretch. Or, you could go for short walks. Light exercises are also helpful, as are a few basic yoga poses like Tadasana and Bhujangasana.

Stand and work

If you have been sitting at a desk for too long, it is time to try a standing posture. Stand and work - your back and your butt will thank you for it.

Move

Don’t be immobile. That is the real killer. Make sure you do enough physical activity, like swimming or cycling. Or just maybe even take a walk. Or you could try group fitness classes to get moving. Or even yoga. That could loosen your muscles.

Train

Train to strengthen your gluteal muscles with exercises like lunges, squats, hip thrusts, and lateral leg raises at least two or three times a week. Make sure you’re using resistance bands or weights that can help your muscles to get stronger. You don’t have to train intensely. Just enough so you don’t get dead butt syndrome.

Stretch

Always stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteal muscles. You might want to work on mobility by reducing stiffness with foam rolling or yoga. You could even try some basic kettlebell exercises for strength.

Sit properly

Ensure that your chair supports your back and keeps your spine aligned. Fiddle around at that height so it’s comfortable enough, and you sit with a neutral spine and do not slouch. A lumbar support or a seat cushion is your friend.

So? Do you think you can sit properly? Use good posture, and engage your core and glutes, irrespective of whether you’re standing, sitting or exercising. Do exercises like clamshells, side planks, hip thrusts, split squats, and single-leg glute bridges, which don't need equipment and can be done at home. Engaging the core and glutes can fix a lot of issues. Also, throw in a little cross-training, stretching and strengthening.

I sit for 12 hours a day, and my butt is numb. What can I do?

If you sit in excess of 12 hours a day, it is important to perform some basic exercises so your gluteus maximus muscle doesn’t feel dead.

I am a cyclist and suffering from numbness in my butt. What can I do?

People who perform repetitive movements are in danger of dead butt syndrome as well. Some basic movements should help you with this so you don’t suffer anymore.

Does dead butt syndrome happen to older people?

Dead butt syndrome happens to people who have been sitting for long periods. They could be old, young, anything.

Should I stand and work? Will that help?

Standing and working has its advantages. For one, you’re not sitting constantly and in danger of dead butt syndrome. Secondly, you can stretch your body whenever you feel like. Standing and working is great for you.

How can I prevent dead butt syndrome?

You can prevent dead butt syndrome by working your gluteus maximus so it doesn’t become numb and stiff from inactivity the whole day.