We’re creatures of habit—repeating the same actions until they become second nature. Whether it’s cycling, sitting at a desk, lounging on the couch, road trips, running, or squats, your glutes are constantly in a “shortened” position. Over time, this can lead to soreness without you even noticing.
How Do Your Butt Muscles Work During These Activities?
According to Janda (1987), muscles are divided into postural muscles and phasic muscles. Postural muscles handle repetitive or rhythmic movements, while phasic muscles counteract gravity and work in sync with other muscles.
In most activities, postural and phasic muscles team up. For example, when you run, your gluteus maximus powers your stride, while the piriformis and hip adductors keep your hips stable. If any of these muscles get too tight or tired, it can lead to that all-too-familiar butt pain.
Let’s break down the reasons behind buttock soreness.
Hip Adductors, Piriformis
What These Postural Muscles Do
Postural muscles are your body’s stabilizers, especially during low-intensity or static activities. They’re key for keeping you balanced and maintaining good posture.
Why They Hurt
Hip Adductors: Sitting for hours (dead butt syndrome), driving, or horseback riding can keep your hip adductors tight, cutting off blood flow and causing soreness. Overuse during activities like side steps or kicks can also strain them.
Piriformis: This deep glute muscle connects your sacrum to your thigh bone. When it’s too tight, it can pinch your sciatic nerve (hello, piriformis syndrome!), leading to butt pain that might radiate down your leg as numbness or tingling. This often happens during running, squats, or cycling.
Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus
What These Phasic Muscles Do
Phasic muscles are your powerhouses during dynamic movements like running, jumping, and squats. They’re the ones that get you moving.
Why They Hurt
Gluteus Maximus: As the largest glute muscle, it does most of the heavy lifting during running, squats, and cycling. Overworking it can lead to fatigue and soreness. Sitting for too long can also strain it by keeping it stretched out.
Gluteus Medius and Minimus: These muscles keep your hips stable and help with side-to-side movements. If they’re overused or unevenly engaged during activities like running or squats, they can get hurt and even cause hip or knee discomfort. Weak gluteus medius muscles, for example, can make your hips drop during runs, putting extra stress on other muscles.
How to Relieve Buttock Muscle Soreness
Keeping your glutes happy means regularly releasing tension and reducing pressure on them. Here’s how:
Massage Your Buttock Cheek
Focus on your booty cheek.
Release your iliacus muscle by the Hoop.
Stretching and Strengthening
1. Loosen up your hip flexors
2. Try clam shell exercises for hip abductors
3. Stretch your piriformis
4. Do glute bridges
5. Straight leg raises
Why Does Using Release Tools Hurt So Much?
It’s normal—don’t panic.
Recovery tools like massage devices are designed to apply deep pressure. The sorer your muscles are, the more intense the pain will feel. It’s part of the process of releasing myofascial trigger points.
You might be tempted to use gentler tools like vibrating massagers or percussion guns, and while they’re great for warming up, they might not fully address persistent soreness.
For real relief, you need static, deep pressure to break up those muscle knots. Start slow—even just 5 seconds at a time.
When Will Using These Tools Stop Hurting?
Once your muscles relax and the tension eases, the pain will significantly decrease.
How Long Until I Feel Better?
It varies. Some people see improvement in a week, while others might take a month or more. Stick with it for a month, and you should notice a difference.
If not, it’s time to consult a professional.
Butt soreness often stems from tight postural muscles (hip adductors, piriformis) or overworked phasic muscles (glutes). Targeted strategies like stretching, strengthening, and using a butt massage tool can effectively alleviate tension and prevent discomfort. If pain persists or is accompanied by symptoms like leg numbness or sharp pain, consult a specialist for further evaluation.