What to do if you have Dead Butt Syndrome as warning is issued
What do lengthy train journeys, office jobs and long-haul flights have in common?
They can all instigate the dreaded Dead Butt Syndrome.
Apparently, however, there are some ways to avoid enduring a dull, achey backside that don't necessary involve having to get out of your seat, after some experts recently argued that the condition can result in 'irreversible side effects'.
What IS 'Dead Butt Syndrome'?
Don't worry, we're not trying to confuse you.
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'Dead Butt Syndrome' is pretty much what it says on the tin.
Known officially in the medical realm as 'gluteus medius tendinosis', it can be caused by 'significant weakness' in one of your glute muscles - the 'gluteus medius'.
The common condition isn't just limited to people who spend a lot of time sitting on their bums - it can also affect athletes prone to running, who often overly-flex that one particular muscle.
According to Dr. Robert Trasolini - an orthopedics surgeon and sports medic with Northwell Health who also works as an assistant professor at Zucker School of Medicine - suffering this condition long-term without intervention can have some pretty dangerous effects on your health.
How bad can it get?
"Sitting with an arched back or slouching at your desk can 'put significant pressure on your deep butt muscles' as well as your lower back," Trasolini recently told PEOPLE.
"When you put pressure on your gluteus maximus and medius, these muscles will start to deactivate and not function as well."
In the most severe cases, he adds that knee pain can be sparked, making activities like climbing stars a painful task.
On top of this, he says your hamstring attachment can start to fray and 'kind of break down', and that you can suffer from lower back pain as a result of stress on your discs.
Thankfully, however, there some relatively easy means of treating 'Dead Butt Syndrome'.
How to prevent it?
REGULAR WALKING BREAKS
As we say, you can prevent the condition from triggering longer-term health conditions by making the effort to break your day up by standing up and walking around.
The issue is, however, that a lot of busy, office-based positions often mean employees feel tied down to their desks, making these integral breaks pretty tricky to navigate.
It may well be that exercising your muscles every now and again in the ways mentioned below is more achievable.
HAMSTRING STRETCHES
You can stretch the muscles in the back of your thigh by - essentially - standing with your left leg slightly bent in front of your right leg, which you keep straight.
Then, by bending slightly at the waist, you'll feel a slight pull on your left hamstring.
Hold this position for 10 or so seconds before switching legs, then repeat twice.
GLUTE SQUEEZE
Tensing the muscles in your bottom can also help.
For the best results, stand up with your legs apart and knees slightly bent, and then squeeze your glutes tightly for three seconds before relaxing and repeating.
If you're easily embarrassed, nip into the work bathroom on your break and do it there.
GLUTE BRIDGE
On the subject of derrière flexes, getting into a glute bridge position can be great at preventing 'Dead Butt Syndrome' - though again, this can be tricky in public.
But if you work from home, try getting onto your back, bending both knees at 90 degree angles and keeping your shoulders on the floor.
Then, push up from your feet, raising your hips into the air before lowering back down, and repeat.
SQUATS
Not only will squats help with flexing your bum muscles, but they'll help with quads, hamstrings, abs and calf muscles.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, tighten your core, and slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and repeat.
Rhianna Benson