Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEffectsRisksCorrection ExercisesKeeping Gluteals Active
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Effects
Risks
Correction Exercises
Keeping Gluteals Active
Gluteal amnesia, sometimes called “dead butt syndrome,” occurs when the glutes “forget” their main function of stabilizing the pelvis and maintaining proper body alignment.
The muscles aren’t actually dead, they are deconditioned and are not activating efficiently. The condition can be reversed with exercise and movement, but it takes nearly twice as long to recover from gluteal amnesia as it does to get to that place. Steps can be taken to prevent it from occurring before it develops.
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Effects of Dead Butt Syndrome
Associated Conditions and Events
Dead butt syndrome can cause problems in other areas of the body. Weakness of the glutes has been associated with dysfunctions such as:
Physical Symptoms
Dead butt syndrome can cause physical symptoms such as:
Dead Butt Syndrome Risks
Short-Term
With dead butt syndrome, the gluteal muscles weaken and stop working optimally. This causes the muscles and joints around them to have to compensate, absorbing excess strain and stress.
Weakening of the gluteal muscles due to reduced activation creates an increased reliance on secondary hip extensor muscles like thehamstringsand hip adductors.
Stabilizer muscles around the hips and pelvis (postural muscles that help with stability and core support) become weak, while mobilizer muscles (task muscles) become tight.
These muscles need to work together. When the muscles on one side of a joint are constantly tight and the opposing muscles are lax, the joint moves out of alignment and becomes imbalanced. The muscles then try to compensate for this, working harder and becoming overworked, leading totrigger pointsand further muscle shortening and weakness.
The pelvic posture can become altered, reducing stability capacity and affecting the balance between the lengths and strengths of the stabilizer and mobilizer muscles.
Long-Term
The imbalance and instability associated with dead butt syndrome can increase therisk of injury, as the body performs and moves in inefficient patterns and ways it wasn’t meant to.
These injuries, such as to the hamstrings, hips, back, and knees, can be serious and may lead to surgery.
Dead butt syndrome may lead tochronic back pain, severe pain, and mobility issues.
Dead Butt Syndrome Correction Exercises
To correct imbalances, first theoveractive muscles need to be deactivated, rolled, and stretched, and the underactive muscles need to be reactivated and strengthened.
Your healthcare provider may recommend physical therapy and/or massage therapy. They may also refer you to anorthopedist(a medical professional who specializes in problems with the bones, muscles, joints, and soft tissues).
Talk to your healthcare provider before doing any exercises to correct dead butt syndrome to ensure you are doing activities safely and effectively, and to guard against causing injury.
Exercises to helpstrengthen the gluteal muscleinclude:
Weight-bearing strengthening exercises, such as:
Using additional equipment (under the guidance of an expert to ensure proper technique), such as:
Non-weight-bearing exercises, such as:
How to Do Some Exercises to Help Dead Butt Syndrome
If your healthcare provider indicates these are appropriate for you, some exercises you can try include:
Side Plank Clamshell Thrust
Glute Bridges
Lie down on the floor, face up, arms at your side, palms pushing into the floor, and knees bent with feet on the floor (hip-width apart)
Tabletop Hip Abduction
Rainbow Taps
How to Keep Gluteal Muscles Active
Add exercises to your regular fitness routine that stretch your hip flexors and strengthen gluteal muscles, such as:
Even if you are active regularly, using a proper technique while exercising is important. Make sure you are using the right muscles in the right ways.
Make sure tostretch properlybefore exercising, particularly if you tend to sit for long periods.
Ways to help get more movement into your routine include:Set a timer on your phone to remember to get up and move at least every hour.Do regular glute squeezes andhamstring stretcheswhile sitting (set a reminder if needed).Use the stairs instead of escalator or elevator when possible.Stretch regularly during the day.Vary your daily routine, don’t let your body get into a rigid, repetitive cycle.Spend some timestanding(at home, try working standing at a high countertop. At the office, elevate your laptop using a small table or stool, or other props. Some desks can convert from sitting to standing height).Alternate between sitting on a regular chair and sitting on a largeexercise ballthroughout the day.
Ways to help get more movement into your routine include:
Summary
Sitting for long periods can cause glute muscles to weaken and hip flexors to over-tighten. This can lead to dead butt syndrome, in which the muscles and joints are working inefficiently, making other muscles and areas of the body overcompensate. This can lead to injuries and pain in areas of the body such as the back,hips, and knees.
If you have dead butt syndrome, exercises that strengthen glute andcore musclesand that stretch hip flexors can help. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting these exercises, as proper technique is very important for safety and efficacy.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kauvery Hospital.Do you have a desk job? Then you must read about this – dead butt syndrome.University of Michigan.Are you at risk for dead butt syndrome?Buckthorpe M, Stride M, Villa FD.Assessing and treating gluteus maximus weakness - a clinical commentary.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2019;14(4):655-669.Ressinka J.Getting back to exercise without pain: the lower back part i. Recreation. 2016;6(1):19-23. doi:10.21486/recreation.2016.6.1.2Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame for knee, hip and back pain.Ohio State University.Knee, hip or back pain? Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame.PrimaNora Medical Centre.Dead butt syndrome: A dangerous medical condition you shouldn’t sit on.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kauvery Hospital.Do you have a desk job? Then you must read about this – dead butt syndrome.University of Michigan.Are you at risk for dead butt syndrome?Buckthorpe M, Stride M, Villa FD.Assessing and treating gluteus maximus weakness - a clinical commentary.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2019;14(4):655-669.Ressinka J.Getting back to exercise without pain: the lower back part i. Recreation. 2016;6(1):19-23. doi:10.21486/recreation.2016.6.1.2Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame for knee, hip and back pain.Ohio State University.Knee, hip or back pain? Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame.PrimaNora Medical Centre.Dead butt syndrome: A dangerous medical condition you shouldn’t sit on.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kauvery Hospital.Do you have a desk job? Then you must read about this – dead butt syndrome.University of Michigan.Are you at risk for dead butt syndrome?Buckthorpe M, Stride M, Villa FD.Assessing and treating gluteus maximus weakness - a clinical commentary.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2019;14(4):655-669.Ressinka J.Getting back to exercise without pain: the lower back part i. Recreation. 2016;6(1):19-23. doi:10.21486/recreation.2016.6.1.2Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame for knee, hip and back pain.Ohio State University.Knee, hip or back pain? Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame.PrimaNora Medical Centre.Dead butt syndrome: A dangerous medical condition you shouldn’t sit on.
Kauvery Hospital.Do you have a desk job? Then you must read about this – dead butt syndrome.
University of Michigan.Are you at risk for dead butt syndrome?
Buckthorpe M, Stride M, Villa FD.Assessing and treating gluteus maximus weakness - a clinical commentary.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2019;14(4):655-669.
Ressinka J.Getting back to exercise without pain: the lower back part i. Recreation. 2016;6(1):19-23. doi:10.21486/recreation.2016.6.1.2
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame for knee, hip and back pain.
Ohio State University.Knee, hip or back pain? Dormant butt syndrome may be to blame.
PrimaNora Medical Centre.Dead butt syndrome: A dangerous medical condition you shouldn’t sit on.
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