What Is Dead Butt Syndrome—and the Best Workouts to Beat It

What is “Dead Butt”syndrome?

“When we sit for long periods of time some very important elements of our core can become compromised,” says Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT, manual therapist and exercise physiologist and creator of the MELT Method. Once you do finally stand up, the components of your core muscle group—your trunk—and key elements of your hip joints don’t move as smoothly, and your body compensates by putting stress on areas not designed to handle the demand.

Symptoms of dead butt: In dead butt syndrome, the distress begins with little things like tension or aches in your neck and low back, or you’ll find yourself constantly shifting in your chair to find (in vain) a comfy position. Eventually, the symptoms are more noticeable and frequent. Your hips feel tight and your back will feel stiff. Your joints will snap, crackle and pop when you move. But the symptoms aren’t just felt on the inside, they’re seen on the outside too, like a swayback posture for starters. (Find out 7 easy ways you can improve your posture.)