‘Dead-butt syndrome’ is real — here’s how to tell if you have it

The dangers of prolonged sitting have been proven, Established. It can increase your chances of developing everything from heart disease to cancer and diabetes, and it can even shorten your life. However, there’s one side effect you may not realize has to do with putting your butt in an office chair all day long.

Americans sit for so long that their butts are literally falling asleep. “Dead-butt syndrome” or gluteal amnesia is a condition that occurs when the gluteus medius muscle becomes inflamed and forgets its normal function.

“Sitting for too long can restrict blood flow and cause amnesia in the gluteal muscles, which can lead to hip pain, lower back pain, and ankle problems. Even with exercises that target the gluteal muscles, the gluteal muscles cannot work properly. No-Excuse Fitness: A 30-Day Plan to Work Out and Boost Your Health.

Kelly Starrett, a physical therapist and founder of Stand Up Kids, adds that your glutes are not designed to bear weight for long periods of time. Lying on your back for long periods of time reduces your body’s ability to use your extremely powerful gluteal muscles when needed.

“If you imagine making a panini sandwich, making grilled cheese at high pressure and high temperature, sitting on your butt all day is kind of like that,” Starrett said.

“The continued flexed position of the hip and the compression of the tissues provide us with the perfect storm of closure.[ting] Inferior gluteal function, or as people say in the vernacular, ‘dead butt’,” he added.

People who experience dead-butt syndrome may feel the familiar sensation of a part of their body “falling asleep.”

“The technical term for this condition is ‘paraesthesia,’ which is an abnormal sensation felt in the body due to pinched or irritated nerves,” says Mark Benden, director of the Kinesiology Center at Texas A&M University. Symptoms of paresthesia can range from mild to severe and can be transient or long-lasting, he added.

How to know if you have this disease

The main cause of this condition is lack of activity, so if you sit in an office chair for several hours a day, you are likely to increase your risk.

“Multiple studies have shown that sitting for long periods of time can have a significant impact on our ability to contract and use our gluteal muscles effectively,” says Green.

He points out that when your glutes shut down from lack of activity and stimulation, it causes tension in other muscles and joints and has the effect that the weaker muscles have to take on the work of the stronger glutes. If left untreated, this can lead to what’s called “synergistic dominance,” where the smaller accessory muscles in the hips and legs now take over movement and control the forces exerted on the hips, spine, and low back.

Tight butt muscles are also a culprit in dead butt syndrome. If you don’t have proper flexibility, you’ll “literally squeeze the juice, or ‘power,’ out of your glutes because the movement is so challenging that [gluteus maximus] There was no way to get enough force to engage in a full-scale engagement,” Green said. “Remember, the gluteus maximus is a big muscle and requires a lot of range of motion to activate and do its job the way it’s supposed to.”

Choosing the wrong exercises or performing them incorrectly can also cause this.

“When trying to activate the glutes… we often see coaches and fitness enthusiasts doing repetitive exercises that don’t make the glutes any more sensitive than they were before,” Green says.

He adds that when exercises fail to activate the target muscles, those smaller muscles mentioned earlier will eventually take over. This allows those smaller muscles to become stronger, further depriving the glutes of the stimulation they now lack.

“For example, let’s say you’ve been sitting in the office for eight hours and now you want to go to the gym and do some serious deadlifts and squats,” Green says. “You load up the barbell and push hard, set after set, trying to squeeze your glutes fully, but the next day your glutes won’t be sore, but your lower back will be tight, your hamstrings will be tight, and your quads will be sore. .

Green revealed that injuries and arthritic conditions may also shut down muscle activation, “protecting” joints from further damage by immobilizing damaged joints or bones.

How to avoid “dead ass”

Jeff Bell, co-founder and senior trainer at Belleon Body NYC, said: “The gluteus maximus is built for strength and speed, and if you want to maintain the strength and speed of the gluteus maximus, you need to climb, climb, and climb regularly. Squat, run, lunge and walk drills.

The best way to prevent “dead butt syndrome” is to stay active and healthy. If you sit for long periods of time, Bell recommends taking frequent breaks to stand up, stretch, and walk around to keep your posterior muscles active throughout the day.

“A good rule to remember is that for every hour you sit, you need to stand up and walk around for 10 minutes to reactivate and prevent your glute muscles from falling asleep,” he says.

Stretching before and after exercise is also key to avoiding gluteal amnesia, says chiropractor Lily Friedman, especially for distance runners and cyclists, who need to pay special attention to stretching their hip flexors.

“This will allow the gluteus medius (one of the three gluteal muscles) to strengthen properly, eliminating mutual inhibition,” she says.

Green believes that dead-butt syndrome can be reversed with regular exercises that target the three muscles involved in the buttocks. Here are five moves he does to activate his glutes:

1. Wide stance jump squats: Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Squat down to a 90-degree angle. Use your glutes and quads to jump as high as you can, then gently land back to the squat position.

2. Side steps for straps: Take a fitness band and tie it to the upper part of your ankle. Bend your knees and start taking 10 steps to the left, then repeat in the other direction. Green says this will strengthen your gluteus medius and minimus while activating the major parts of your glutes.

3. Side lunge: This is a great lower body exercise that strengthens your quads, glutes, and hamstrings while also toning your inner and outer thighs. Stand with your feet together and take a step to the left as far as possible while bending your left knee 90 degrees. Keep your right leg straight. Repeat on the other side.

4. Kettlebell Squat: Grasp the handles of the kettlebell and lift it up to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body. Place your feet into a squat position with your heels hip-width or slightly wider. When squatting, place your hips over your heels, lowering your body to 90 degrees or more. As you descend, be sure to support the weight above your chest line to protect your lower back from strain.

5. Lateral promotion: Find a solid surface that is strong enough to support your weight and is at least as high as your knees. Stand with your body turned sideways towards the object. Place your right foot on the surface of the water and step upward using your glutes, quads, and core. Repeat 10 times before turning to the other side.

As an extra move, Green says it may be helpful to tighten your gluteal muscles occasionally throughout the day. “This will stimulate the glutes and get them moving again,” he adds.

There are also products on the market that can help keep your butt from falling asleep, and they can work wonders if you sit for too long. For example, some seat cushions are specifically designed to relax under pressure while supporting your weight evenly.

Starrett believes the bottom line in dealing with dead-butt syndrome is that if you start to feel a sting, you should get up and move around.

“Quickly walk up the stairs or take a brisk walk [in general] It’ll get your glutes back into functional mode,” Starrett says.

This article was originally published in Huffington Post.