Click on the blue link if you'd like to read a bit more about my voyage starting my own practice: Meet Laura Mannering of Laura Mannering Physical Therapy in Fort Lauderdale.
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I remember learning about dead butt syndrome (DBS) during a presentation at the clinic where I worked several years ago, two years into my career. I believe the sales rep was there to push taping products, but this topic somehow came up. (Please note: while some refer to all the gluteal muscles becoming weak, others specify the gluteus medius muscle in particular.) This gentleman explained that since people sit all day without using their gluteus muscles, they become weak. Made sense to me! And it had a fun name.
However, when I began using the term with patients whose gluteus medius muscles were in fact weak, and fielding patients' questions regarding the topic, I became skeptical. For one, if sitting dormant all day was the root cause, why wouldn't mostmuscles weaken? And, secondly, if it was sitting combined with lack of daily use of the gluteus medius muscles - lack of moving the hips laterally - that was the trigger, wouldn't the lateral movers of other joints suffer then too? So I did a bit of "research:" I read a few articles intended for the public. The consensus is that DBS not only affects expert sitters, but also people who exercise, but who don't target the glute muscles enough. That sounds strange. Those could be very different cohorts. Or, the exercisers could also be expert sitters when they're not moving. Here are my two chief complaints with what I found to be the commonly proposed etiology of DBS:
Another article states, "It may seem bizarre for a muscle to just stop functioning out of nowhere." Yes! It is indeed very bizarre! Except when you recall that nerves send power to muscles ... and when there is a problem with the flow of electricity through those nerves, muscles will stop functioning seemingly out of nowhere! This inhibition-driven weakness, while not normal, is extremely common. (In fact, if I tested the primary muscles of the upper and lower extremities of 100 people, I bet not one person would demonstrate full strength. That means not one person would have uninterrupted flow of electricity from their spine to their muscles.) The good news is, once you restore the flow of electrical power from the spine - I use specific movements with my patients to accomplish this - muscles should immediately regain normal strength. So what is going on with DBS? In the large majority of cases, prolonged sitting (the more slouched, the worse) creates a malalignment in the low back which impedes the flow of electricity via the nerves to the glutes, depriving them of their juice to be strong. The same scenario can create pain in the glutes as pinched nerves can carry pain along their path (or any altered sensation such as tingling or degrees of numbness). That'swhy your butt is dead. To fix it, you'll need to address your low back in order to decompress the nerves. And then, once the power is back on, if your gluteus muscle strength doesn't return completely since the muscles had been dead for so long, you can move on to targeted strengthening exercises to rebuild them. -- Laura Your car seat alignment is very important for your health! For starters, we tend to spend a decent amount of time in our vehicles. Additionally, the time spent in your car seat is spent in one position. You're typically not moving around by crossing your legs, shifting your weight, etc. - because you can't. So if you're going to be stuck in one position, it better be the best possible position for your spine and body as a whole.
Three things are crucial: (1) Ensure the headrest is not pushing your neck/head forward. I turned mine around. It took time getting used to being in a NEUTRAL position, but now it feels natural (as it should!). (2) Get your bum level with your knees. No sinking into the seat! If you can't adjust your seat, sit on towels or purchase something. I use a wedge I got from my local Relax The Back store to lift up my hips. (3) Get adequate lumbar support. You might have an inflatable support in your car, but even that might not be enough. I use a firm McKenzie lumbar roll. -- Laura Alignment is important! When you move forward, you should be rolling over, and pushing off of, your big toe. This is the way the body was meant to move, step after step, year after year. If your movement pattern is off-kilter, your muscles, joints, etc. will likely break down at some point. (Just like misaligned tires on a car will usually lead to problems.)
When it comes to fixing an incorrect movement pattern, you first need to identify WHY you're not moving properly, of course. Your leg or legs may be moving incorrectly because of misalignment in one of your joints such as your spine, hip, knee, ankle, or any of the multiple joints in your foot. Or perhaps a muscle is weak or tight, not allowing you to move in a straight line. Considering how repetitive this movement is in our lives, it really is vital to have it functioning optimally to prevent injuries such as joint dysfunction (arthritis, meniscal and ligament problems) and muscle/tendon dysfunction (strains, tendinitis, tendinopathy). -- Laura Got to contribute a tad bit to the piece in Elite Daily titled "5 Exercises You Can Do On The Subway & Not Look Weird." It's a fun read, even if you don't spend a lot of time on the subway! -- Laura
https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/exercises-you-can-do-on-the-subway/2066835 Has someone told you you have weak gluteus medius (hip abductor) muscles? The L4, L5, and S1 nerves supply the electricity to this muscle, so there's a GREAT chance the glute med is weak because those nerves are inhibited in your (slouchy) low back. In that case, the solution would simply be to free up those nerves in the low back - and the strength would return immediately! Could save months of strength training, not to mention actually addressing the true cause of the weakness. -- Laura
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