Dormant Butt Syndrome from sitting for long periods can trigger agony

tunisante May 26, 2016 Health

The condition may be behind chronic pain for millions of people
Refers to gluteal muscles in the bottom being weak or not working properly
Causes strain on other parts of the body such as the knee, hip or back

Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published:
07:08 EST, 26 May 2016

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Updated:
08:24 EST, 26 May 2016

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Do your knees give you gyp, do you have a sore hip or even suffer from back pain?

One physiotherapist believes he’s got to the bottom of it – and the cause may surprise you.

‘Dormant Butt Syndrome’ – as is called – may be behind chronic pain for millions of people, he says.

It can affect everyone – from those who don’t do enough exercise – to the most active of athletes and can leave sufferers in excruciating pain.

The phrase was coined by Chris Kolba, a physical therapist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, and refers to a combination of tight hip and weak gluteal muscles in the bottom.

Dormant Butt Syndrome occurs when the gluteus maximus muscles are not functioning properly, heaping strain on other parts of the body

He first became aware of the problem when one of his clients, Jennifer Ernst began suffering from knee pain when training for a marathon.

‘I continued to run, thinking that it would just go away,’ she said.

‘But then eventually the pain got so severe that I couldn’t run. It was a stabbing pain in my knee.’

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An MRI scan revealed she had a severe tear in her meniscus – cartilage in the knee – and needed surgery.

Mr Kolba suggested the problem with her knee was likely to have started further up her body.

‘It basically refers to the gluteus maximus or the glute muscles just not functioning as efficiently as they should,’ he explains in a video.

The bottom should act as support for the entire body and as a shock absorber for stress during exercise but when this fails, it can cause strain elsewhere

‘The entire body works as a linked system, and a lot of times when people come in with knee or hip injuries, it’s actually because their butt isn’t strong enough.

‘The rear end should act as support for the entire body and as a shock absorber for stress during exercise.

‘But if it’s too weak, other parts of the body take up the slack and often results in injury.’

He said the condition can lead to everything from chronic pain in the lower back to injuries to the meniscus, often resulting in knee surgery.

Prolonged inactivity also causes muscle imbalances, so when people do get up to do something as simple as walking about, it can lead to pain.

‘Sitting for periods throughout the day weakens the gluteal muscles and puts strain on other parts of our core, as does sleeping in the foetal position, he said.’

The good news, stretching and regular walking about throughout the day can strengthen the gluteal

‘The important thing is keeping your hips mobile and loose through stretching and flexibility exercises,’ he said.

‘And then doing specific exercises to strengthen the glutes such as squats, bridges and lunges.’