Sometimes after sitting for a long time, you might notice your rear end feeling a little numb. It’s a feeling similar to when your leg falls asleep. The numbness is called Dead Butt Syndrome (DBS), a condition many truck drivers and office workers experience. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Dead Butt Syndrome.

What Is DBS?

DBS is a phenomenon where the muscles in your butt relax to the point where they stop supporting your pelvis and spine properly. You might also see it called more technical names like gluteal amnesia or gluteus medius tendinopathy. As the word amnesia implies, your muscles just sort of forget what they’re supposed to be doing.

Causes of DBS

DBS is most common in people who sit for long periods, like truck drivers and office workers. It can also happen if you travel on long flights too often. Basically, anyone who sits a lot as a part of their regular daily activities is at risk for DBS.

While most people don’t know this, you can also get DBS if you’re a runner. Running too frequently can affect your gluteal muscles similarly to too much sitting.

What Happens When DBS Escalates?

If you start to suspect that you have DBS but continue sitting for long periods, DBS can escalate. At first, you may experience numbness or stiffness that extends to other parts of your body. These parts include:

• Lower back
• Knees
• Hips
• Legs

After enough continued sitting, DBS can have other negative health consequences. You can actually lose strength in your gluteal muscles (the muscles in your butt). Loss of strength makes it harder to be active, which, in turn, makes you want to sit more often. It becomes a vicious cycle that continues to worsen the condition of your muscles.

DBS and Bursitis

Another thing that can happen is bursitis, which is a type of hip inflammation. The cushiony fluid sacs inside your hip joints become inflamed, which causes pain and swelling. You’ll feel that pain even when lying on your side, making it hard to sleep comfortably.

As your hips begin to hurt more, you’ll probably try to adapt by changing your stride. Unfortunately, this can put an unusual amount of stress on your knees, ankles, and feet. Ultimately, you’ll irritate other body parts, extending your discomfort.

How To Get a Diagnosis

To get a DBS diagnosis, you’ll need to visit a doctor. You may also want to visit a sports medicine expert or orthopedist to come up with a treatment plan. As part of the examination, you should expect to perform a few exercises and stretches so your doctor can examine your symptoms firsthand. Sometimes, you’ll need to get other tests done to rule out other conditions.

How Does Treating DBS Work?

Treatment for DBS looks different for everyone, especially because not everyone has the same activity goals. Athletes may need more specialized help from a sports medicine specialist than a truck driver needs.

For truckers, the best thing you can do is take some time off to give your muscles a break. Your doctor’s recommendation will probably include things like rest, ice packs, compression, and elevation of your legs.

Once you’re back on the road, you can help keep symptoms at bay by taking every opportunity to stand up and stretch. When you’re not on the clock, try not to continue sitting. When driving, remember to wiggle in your seat every so often to wake up those muscles.

Exercises for Preventing DBS

If you struggle with DBS, there are exercises you can do to help alleviate symptoms. And if you don’t currently experience symptoms, these exercises can help make sure you never do. We recommend doing these stretches a few times a week, either before or after your shift.

Hamstring Stretches

Your hamstrings are the muscles in the back of your thigh that run from your butt to your knee. Since they’re attached to your butt, they’re part of the muscle network that DBS affects.

To stretch your hamstrings, bend one leg at a time and lean over at the waist. You should feel a tightness in the back of the thigh of your straight leg, which is your hamstring. Gently lean into the tightness to the point that you feel a little discomfort, but not pain. Then switch legs.

Squats

Squats are an amazing calisthenic exercise that stretches an entire group of muscles in your legs, butt, and abdomen. Stand straight, tighten your core (abdominal) muscles, then bend your knees. You want to keep going until your thighs are close to parallel with the ground, then stand back up. Do these squats in sets of 10–15.

Leg Lifts

Leg lifts are another good stretch to use if you feel DBS symptoms in your hip flexors. These are the muscles in your thighs that help lift your legs. To stretch them, lie down on a flat surface and lift your legs into the air. Try to keep your legs as straight as possible, then gently lower your legs down on the ground. Repeat this stretch 10–15 times.

Increasing Comfort With Air Ride Seating

Another thing you need to know about Dead Butt Syndrome is that you can mitigate the symptoms by sitting in the right kind of semi-truck seat. Most of the seats in company truck cabs are worn and don’t have adequate support anymore. GRA-MAG’s air ride seats can keep your body properly supported, reducing stress on your body so you don’t experience DBS.

Air ride seats are different from what most drivers have experienced because they have better cushioning and suspension. When lots of different bodies sit in the same driving seat year after year, the cushions become permanently squished. This means they can’t provide adequate support. Also, most of the seats from cab manufacturers don’t have full adjustability, putting more stress on your body while you drive.

Air ride seats have full adjustability and double suspension systems. These systems work together to protect your entire body from DBS and road vibrations by increasing comfort. Contact GRA-MAG today to learn how our SteadyRide seats can increase driver well-being. We also offer fleet pricing if you’d like to put our seats in all your trucks.