“Variety is the take-home message,” says Dr. This helps keep the muscles in your buttocks and lower back engaged.Ī therapy ball, which lets you shift your weight easily and frequently, and a kneeling chair are both good options. Bang tells companies, “It’s a very minimal expense, and a lot cheaper than paying for medical costs.”Įven if your desk chair is ergonomically correct (conducive to good posture), it’s a good idea to change what you sit on periodically. Some employers will purchase a sitting/standing desk for employees if they have a doctor’s order.

These adjustable-height desks come in two designs: a full-size desk or a table-top size that sits atop your traditional desk. Bang recommends using a sitting/standing desk. To make standing time even more flexible, Dr. Use the standing time to talk on the phone, do filing or confer with co-workers. Making adjustments in how you work at your desk can also relieve dead butt syndrome - or prevent the problem before it develops.įor example, try sitting for 40 minutes and then standing for 20 minutes. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds on each side, three times a day. This yoga pose, done while sitting on an armless chair, helps stretch your tight hip flexors. Repeat on your left side, lifting your bent right leg toward the ceiling.Keeping your feet touching, lift your bent left leg toward the ceiling.Lie down on your right side with both knees bent.Repeat 30 to 40 times, in sets of three, every day: Once you are comfortable doing this exercise regularly, you can work with a band or an ankle weight for extra resistance. Repeat on your left side, lifting your right leg.Lift your left leg with your big toe pointing toward the floor, and lift.Repeat 15 to 20 times, in sets of three, every day: But three exercises will often help you conquer the pain and discomfort: 1. Simple exercises that helpĪ deep tissue massage can sometimes help combat the problem. Bang says.Ĭan you feel better without resorting to pain medication or surgery? “Most definitely,” he says. Athletes, especially avid runners who forgo cross-training and strength training, can also develop this syndrome, Dr. “Most patients have no idea what they did to cause the pain.”īut the problem also strikes those who are active. “The weakness is gradual, happening over time,” Dr. Not surprisingly, sitting for long periods in front of a desk or in a car is the most common cause of dead butt syndrome. “Muscle weakness can also compress, pull or pinch the nerves, leading to the numbness related to dead butt syndrome,” says Dr.

When it’s weak and can’t function properly, you may experience varying levels of hip and lower back pain when you sit and sometimes when you move. The job of the gluteus medius is to stabilize your hips and pelvis. Constant sitting weakens the gluteus medius, one of the three primary muscles in the buttock. In this syndrome, muscle tightness and weakness combine to create an imbalance. “I didn’t coin the phrase, but I like to use it because it’s easy to understand.” “When I call it ‘dead butt’ syndrome, patients grasp the concept right away,” says chiropractor Andrew Bang, DC. Policyīut another more memorable term is: “dead butt” syndrome. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.

Gluteal amnesia