It’s the legacy of a sedentary life, with your butt screwed to an office chair. Experts call it dead butt syndrome, or gluteal amnesia. It concerns the gluteal muscles, made up of the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus.
What are the gluteal muscles used for?
They are involved in the majority of body movements. “They absorb shock when you take a step or when you walk or run. They are also responsible for controlling your pelvis and certain movements of your back, so they are working all the time, especially when you are standing or doing seated activities,” Dr Kenneth explains to Irish media RTE Monaghan, musculoskeletal physiotherapist.
The gluteal muscles stabilize the hips, allow leg movement, form a base for the spine and stabilize the pelvis and trunk.
Why does dead butt syndrome occur?
“If the glutes were really dead, we wouldn’t be able to stand up,” summarizes for the New York Times Jane Konidis, specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic (Cleveland, United States). But constant sitting eventually weakens the gluteal muscles.
Not sufficiently solicited, they “forget” their roles and how to fulfill them or are slower to take action. “We’re not talking about sitting around for a single day for a few hours; we’re talking about people who sit constantly at desks in front of computer screens for days, weeks and months over the course of their lives,” adds Kenneth Monaghan.
What consequences?
At first, we don’t realize it because the other muscles compensate. But this ends up causing pain in the lower back, in the hips and knees in particular, even in people who are active and yet too sedentary.
In addition to pain, gluteal muscle dysfunction can lead to injuries, such as torn hamstrings, sciatica, arthritis in the knees, or disc problems.
“Muscle weakness can also compress, pull, or pinch nerves, leading to the numbness associated with dead butt syndrome,” notes Cleveland Clinic chiropractor Dr. Andrew Bang.
Do you suffer from buttock amnesia?
Sometimes difficult to perceive, different techniques can help you know if you suffer from gluteal amnesia. Support yourself on one leg then transfer the weight to the leg that was inactive, you should feel a firming of the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. If you don’t feel it or if you have to repeat the movement several times before you feel it, you probably have it.
Another technique: lying on your back, lift your hips off the ground by using your gluteal muscles. If you do not feel a slight burning in the buttocks but in the hamstrings, it is because the former are not activated and the seconds do all the work.
How to help the glutes recover their memory?
To help your glutes regain their memory, you can perform several exercises, recommended by Dr. Andrew Bang:
- Lying on your left side, lift your right leg 15 to 20 times, with your big toe pointing toward the floor. Repeat, this time lying on your right side.
- Lying on your left side, both knees bent, feet touching each other, lift your right knee towards the ceiling, 30 to 40 times. Do the same thing on the right side.
Side planks, glute bridges and split squats can also wake up your gluteal muscles. And to prevent the problem, stay up as long as possible during the day, during a telephone conversation for example or while thinking. You can also opt for a desk that allows you to alternate between sitting/standing postures or swap your chair for a Swiss ball. Note that even a good ergonomic chair will not protect you from dead butt syndrome.
Source : Cleveland Clinic, The New York Times, RTE
