Dead Butt Syndrome:
How to Bring Your Glutes Back to Life
“Dead butt syndrome” might sound like a joke, but it’s not something to laugh off. Officially known as gluteal amnesia, it happens when the muscles in your butt, the glutes, essentially forget how to work. Your glutes are responsible for many important things, like helping you walk, run, and stay stable. When they don’t fire up like they’re supposed to, other muscles, like your lower back or hamstrings, have to pick up the slack. This can lead to stiffness, pain, or even severe injuries down the line.
Why Sitting Too Much Causes Trouble
Let’s face it: if you sit a lot, you could be at risk. Whether it’s at a desk job, sitting in traffic, or binge-watching your favorite show for hours, sitting shuts down your glutes. They’re just sitting there, doing nothing, while the muscles on the front of your hips take over. If you run, bike, or play sports without engaging your glutes, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Runners, golfers, and even weightlifters can all suffer from dead butt syndrome.
The issue arises when your glutes become underused and weak, forcing other muscles to compensate. The result? Your hamstrings, lower back, or hips step in to help out. And because those muscles aren’t meant to handle the work your glutes are supposed to do, they get overworked, leading to aches and pains.
If you’ve ever gotten up after hours of sitting and felt stiff, that’s a sign your body’s saying, “We’ve been off for too long!” And while the stiffness might go away after a few minutes, the long-term effects can linger, especially if you don’t take steps to wake those glutes up.
Research shows that people with gluteal amnesia experience delayed muscle activation. This slower response adds extra strain on other parts of the body, especially the knees and lower back.
Testing for Dead Butt Syndrome
You can check for gluteal amnesia with a simple test: Stand on one leg and let the other dangle. If your standing leg’s glute feels soft or takes a while to firm up, your glutes may not be firing properly.
For another test, try a glute bridge, where you lie on your back and lift your hips into the air. When your hips are off the ground, consciously engage your cheeks. Do five to ten reps, lifting your hips up and then relaxing. You should feel your glutes burn a little. If you don’t, but feel the strain in your hamstrings (the muscles in your leg just below your butt), that’s a sign your glutes aren’t activated.
How to Fix Dead Butt Syndrome
Fixing dead butt syndrome isn’t that hard. You just need to wake up your glutes and remind them to do their job. One of the easiest things you can do is stand up every 30 minutes if you’ve been sitting for a while. Do a few squats, march in place, or even just tap your butt cheeks a few times. That simple stimulation can help remind your brain that those muscles are there, waiting to work.
You can also add glute-specific exercises to your routine. Moves like clamshells, hip thrusts, and glute bridges are great for waking up your glutes. You don’t need any special equipment, just your body weight. The key is to move slowly and focus on feeling the burn in your glutes, not your lower back or legs.
Clamshell Exercise
Hip Thrusts
Glute Bridge
Consistency is key. Doing these exercises a few times a week will help your glutes start firing properly when you walk, run, or even just stand.
When to Seek Professional Help
But what if you’ve been doing the exercises and still feel pain? Maybe your lower back aches after running, or your knees hurt during a workout. In that case, it might be time to see a physical therapist. They can check if your glutes are really the problem or if something else is going on. Sometimes, it’s not just about weak glutes; it could be about how other muscles are working together (or not working together) with your glutes.
If your glutes aren’t working right, everything else feels it. So, take care of them, wake them up, and don’t let dead butt syndrome hold you back.
Reference Links:
Comparison of Electromyographic Activity of the Superior and Inferior Portions of the Gluteus Maximus Muscle During Common Therapeutic Exercises
David M. Selkowitz, George J. Beneck, Christopher M. Powers
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Published Online:August 31, 2016 Volume 46 Issue 9 Pages794-799
Gluteal muscle activity and patellofemoral pain syndrome: a systematic review
Christian J Barton, Simon Lack, Peter Malliaras, Dylan Morrissey
British Journal of Sports Medicine, Published Online issue publication October 11, 2022
Performance on the Single-Leg Squat Task Indicates Hip Abductor Muscle Function
Kay M. Crossley, Wan-Jing Zhang, Anthony G. Schache, Adam Bryant, Sallie M. Cowan
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine - The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Published online February 18, 201
ASSESSING AND TREATING GLUTEUS MAXIMUS WEAKNESS – A CLINICAL COMMENTARY
Matthew Buckthorpe, Matthew Stride, Francesco Della Villa
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Published 2019 Jul; 14(4): 655–669.
The effects of gluteus muscle strengthening exercise and lumbar stabilization exercise on lumbar muscle strength and balance in chronic low back pain patients
Ui-Cheol Jeong, Jae-Heon Sim, Cheol-Yong Kim, Gak Hwang-Bo and Chan-Woo Nam
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Published online 2015 Dec 28. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.3813
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10/3/2024
