If you’re dealing with DBS, you may experience the following symptoms: This can lead to pain and soreness in the buttocks, as well as numbness or tingling sensations. The condition can be caused by prolonged sitting, which leads to decreased blood flow to the muscles. It is characterized by a lack of muscle tone and strength in the buttocks. Symptoms of Dead Butt Syndromeĭead butt syndrome is a condition that affects the gluteus maximus muscle. Your lumbar spine (or lower back) should naturally form an S shape, so if it exhibits more extreme curvature, this may be a sign that your hip flexors are so tight they’re pulling the spine forward. Our physical therapists may also study the curve of your spine, as it can also suggest DBS. If your pelvis tilts down on the side of the lifted leg, this reveals a weakness in the gluteus medius on the opposing side. This is an exam where you will lift one leg in front of your body while standing up. First, we may perform the Trendelenburg test. There are a few ways Fitness Matters in the Columbus area can diagnose gluteal amnesia. Over time, your glutes will lose strength. So, when you spend hours sitting on your butt, your hip flexors are contracting while your glutes rest. When one muscle on either side of a joint contract, a nerve signal is sent to its opposing power to relax.

If it fails to work correctly, this can result in lower back pain and hip pain, or even knee and ankle pain, as your body attempts to make up for the imbalance. The gluteus medius is supposed to help stabilize the pelvis. This can happen if you spend too much time sitting in a chair, on the couch, or in your car.Įven if you’re relatively active, you may develop DBS simply from not exercising your glutes enough! The same type of muscle imbalance can happen in highly active individuals who have powerful quads or hamstrings. What is Dead Butt Syndrome?ĭead Butt Syndrome (DBS) develops when the gluteus medius (one of the three main muscles of the butt) stops working the way it should. We can properly assess your situation, find out if it’s DBS, and treat it accordingly. If you’ve been experiencing pain in your hips, knees, or lower back, you work a job that requires you to sit often, or you suffer from a pain condition that makes it hard for you to get up and move around, contact Fitness Matters today. Sitting too much is linked to illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer, so we need to get up and move!ĭid you know that sitting can cause Dead Butt Syndrome, also known as gluteal amnesia? The condition might make you laugh, but it’s a genuine problem to have, and physical therapy can help you! In this day and age, many of us spend most of our time sitting for work.

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Repeat 10 times before going to the other side. Place your right foot on the surface and use your glutes, quads and core to step up. Stand with your body facing sideways toward the object.

Lateral step up: Find a steady surface that is strong enough to hold your weight and is at least as high as your knees.As you descend, be sure to support the weight so that it stays above your chest line to protect your lower back from strain. To squat, sit the hips down over the heels, bringing your body down to 90 degrees or more. Set your feet in a squat stance so that the heels are at hip width or slightly wider. Kettlebell squat: Grab a kettlebell by the handles and bring it up in front of your chest and keep your elbows tight to your body.Stand with your feet together, then step out as wide as you can to the left while bending the left knee to 90 degrees. Side lunge: This is a great lower body exercise that strengthens your quads, glutes and hamstrings while also targeting both the inner and outer thighs.This will strengthen your gluteus medius and minimus while activating the major part of your glutes as well, according to Green. Bend your knees and start walking sideways to the left for 10 steps and repeat in the other direction.

Side steps with bands: Grab an exercise band and strap it on the upper part of your ankles.Use your glutes and quads to jump as high as you can, landing softly back into your squatted position. Wide stance jump squat: Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart.

Gluteal amnesia test