You may have already noticed that spending a lot of time sitting can cause back pain, has an impact on obesity and has even been proven to influence the development of cancer. What you may not yet know is that staying in this position for a long time can cause the gluteus medius muscle, one of the most important in the butt region, to stop working properly, causing the so-called “gluteal amnesia” or “butt syndrome”. dead". The explanation for this theory was made by Kristen Schuyten, a physiotherapist at Michigan Medicine, in an interview with the North American broadcaster CNN. “This can also occur in individuals who are very active but simply don't exercise their gluteal muscles enough,” she adds. The gluteus medius helps to stabilize the pelvis and when it does not work correctly it can cause pain in the lower back and hips, as well as knee and ankle problems, as there is an effort from other parts of the body to compensate for this imbalance. When we sit for long hours, our hip flexors contract while our glutes rest. “Over time, we are essentially training our glutes to be weak,” says Andrew Bang, a chiropractor at the Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute who has seen many cases of the condition. One of the ways to identify the problem is the Trendelenburg Test, a physical examination where the person, standing, raises one of their legs. “If the pelvis 'sinks' on the side of the body where the leg is lifted, this indicates weakness in the gluteus medius on the opposite side,” says Bang. According to him, the curve in a person's back can also suggest “gluteal amnesia”. While the lumbar spine (or lower back) should naturally form an S-shape, a more extreme curvature may indicate that the hip flexors are so tight that they are pulling the spine forward. Experts in the field indicate that it is important to move around during the day to liven up the region. Also, doing glute exercises helps prevent the problem from developing.
