DBS

Sneaking Up On You From Behind – Literally

In 2016, at the Ohio State Medical Center, Chris Kolba coined the term “dormant butt syndrome” (DBS). In a recent article in The New York Times, the term was reframed as “Dead Butt Syndrome.”

“Dormant butt syndrome” refers to the tightness of the hip flexors and weakness of the gluteal muscles. When gluteal muscles are weak, the muscles and joints around them absorb strain during exercise, often causing hamstring injuries, back pain, hip pain, and knee injuries that could lead to surgery. (1)

“The entire body works as a linked system, and a lot of times when people incur knee or hip injuries, it’s actually because their butt isn’t strong enough,” said Chris Kolba, a physical therapist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “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 result in injury.” (2)

The Source of Your Pain

The back pain, hip pain, leg pain, ankle, or foot pain you are suffering from may not be emanating from those specific locations but rather inactive glute muscles. “Dormant butt syndrome” can lead to everything from chronic pain in the lower back to meniscus injuries, often resulting in knee surgery. Sitting for periods throughout the day weakens the gluteal muscles and puts strain on other parts of our core, as does sleeping in the fetal position.

What To Do About It

Many of us can avoid frequent visits to chiropractors and doctors by simply adopting a protocol that involves glute activation. An exercise program that requires maximal or submaximal multi-joint lifts must utilize a glute activation protocol. Contrary to popular belief, foam rolling and stretching do not prepare you for exercises such as deadlifts, squats, split squats, or lunges; to the contrary, stretching or foam rolling prior to heavy lifting could be detrimental. Kolba says that stretching, making a point to stand, walking as often as possible throughout the day, and incorporating exercises to strengthen the gluteal muscles can go a long way in reducing pain and injury in other parts of the middle to lower body.

Stuart McGill, PHD in his icon book “The Back Mechanic,” stresses the need for glute and core work as a restorative measure for back problems. Contrary to Kolba, he does not stress stretching but rather cautions that over-stretching can lead to laxity in tendon strength, which leads to back injuries. Many times, when asked what clients are doing to alleviate pain in their lower back, they respond by saying they are “stretching.” Many do not report a strength regiment as a protocol for their back problems.

Get Your Glutes Going

The long and short of it is that what you perceive as back pain may not be coming from your back at all. Rather, it is refracted pain from underactive glutes, which could be pinching nerves or disrupting the kinetic chain from foot to hip. This break in the kinetic flow leads to chronic back pain. Protocols for gluteus minimus, medius, and maximus could be the answer to all your back problems. If you would like more information about these protocols, feel free to reach out to me. It would be my pleasure to go into details and assign you a trainer who will help you on the road to recovery.

(1) (2)Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center/ Kris Kolba

Contact me today for a free consultation:  [email protected] or call: 1-917-817-8373

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About The Author

Giuseppe Ciccolella

Giuseppe Ciccolella, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, MES, is an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a certified Medical Exercise Specialist, as well as a USA-certified boxing coach. He has over 25 years of experience helping people of all ages and abilities achieve their wellness goals. He is the manager of the Personal Training Department at FI.

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