how to fix gluteal amnesia or ‘dead butt syndrome’
After a long day sat at your desk or driving, it's normal to feel a bit stiff. This tightness might be in your hip flexors or lower back, but it could also be a sign of a more significant issue known as gluteal amnesia, or “dead butt syndrome.
The name is funny, the impact is not
While the name might sound funny, the impact is anything but. The glutes, particularly the gluteus maximus, are some of the strongest muscles in the body and play a critical role in supporting movement and absorbing shock. When these muscles aren’t engaging properly, other areas of the body—like the lower back, knees, or hamstrings—are forced to overcompensate, leading to issues like shin splints, sciatica, or even knee pain.
Gluteal amnesia occurs when the muscles in the buttocks become so inactive that they essentially “forget” how to switch on when needed. Unlike when your arm or leg falls asleep from lack of circulation, there’s no tingling sensation to warn you. Most people won't even realise they have it until they try activities like running, where their glutes should be doing much of the work.
When your glutes aren’t pulling their weight, other muscles in the body—particularly around the lower back and knees—have to step in to help. This can lead to discomfort or even injury, especially in runners and those who are active or play sports like tennis or padel.
“When your glutes aren’t pulling their weight, other muscles in the body—particularly around the lower back and knees—have to step in to help. This can lead to discomfort or even injury, especially in runners and those who are active and play sports like tennis or padel.”
The good news
The good news is that it’s possible to retrain your glutes to work properly. But it doesn’t always come naturally, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting, which makes it important to recognise when your glutes have switched off and how to turn them back on.
Why do you glutes switch off?
The glutes are made up of three muscles around the hips that help stabilise the body, lift the legs, and rotate the thighs. They also provide a foundation for your spine and help keep your pelvis stable.
When walking, your glutes should engage first. However, when you spend hours sitting, the muscles at the front of your hips take over, allowing the glutes to relax and go quiet or ‘dead’ hence the dead butt name. Over time, this habit leads to weakened glutes, which is often linked to problems like back pain and knee strain, particularly among active people.
Signs of gluteal amnesia
Unlike muscles like your biceps or quads, which visibly contract, it can be harder to notice whether your glutes are firing. You might think your glutes are strong because you can do squats or lunges, but your quads and lower back could be doing all the work without you realising it.
One easy way to check if your glutes are inactive is to stand on one leg and let the other leg dangle (stand on a step if this feels difficult standing on the floor). On the side that’s hanging, your glute muscle will feel soft. Now shift your weight onto the leg you're standing on and squeeze the glute on that side. If the muscle takes a moment to firm up or you need a few tries to feel it engage, your glutes may need waking up.
Another way to test is to try a glute bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips towards the ceiling and actively engage your glutes as you hold the position. If your hamstrings (the muscles just under your bum) are doing all the work and you feel little from your glutes, it's a sign they’re not pulling their weight.
How to get your glutes firing
Ideally, your glutes should activate naturally during movement, but if you’ve spent years sitting (and how many of us haven’t?), you’ll need to remind them how to engage. A simple way to wake them up is by standing every 20 to 30 minutes if you’ve been sitting, and lightly tapping or squeezing your glutes to remind your brain those muscles exist and you can even do this if you’re still sitting if you’re stuck in a meeting for example. Walking in place or doing a few squats while focusing on contracting the glutes with each rep can also help.
Before engaging in exercise or fitness activity, it's important to warm up the glutes to activate them. Exercises such as clamshells, hip thrusts, side planks, and single-leg bridges can all be done with no equipment. Pick two or three exercises, and perform them slowly and with control every other day until you feel your glutes burning.
If you’re not a fan of stretching and just want to get straight to the gym, on the court, pitch or to start running and don’t have the discipline to do these kind of exercises on your own, come into Stretch Life for an assisted stretch and let us do all the work so you don’t have to.
Even if you're regularly walking or running, you should put these exercises and stretches into your routine a few times a week to make sure your glutes are strong and working efficiently. Neglecting this can result in injury or pain, as the rest of your body tries to compensate for your inactive glutes.
At Stretch Life, we specialise in assisted stretching techniques that can help fix gluteal amnesia by strengthening and activating your glutes. Using PNF stretching, we not only improve your flexibility but also help train your brain to remember how these muscles should engage, restoring strength and balance to your movements. When one part of your body isn’t functioning at its best, everything else has to work harder. Your glutes are meant to be a key player in your body's movement, and with the right care, they can get back to doing their job.
Life’s short - stretch it out.
To try PNF led assisted stretching for yourself, visit our website www.stretchlife.com
