Is too much time spent sitting on your lazy bum ruining your joints?

HERE is the bottom line for men and women.

If you suffer from dodgy knees, clicky hips or a touch of backache, the culprit may be right behind you — a lazy, underused bottom.

An increasingly sedentary lifestyle is being blamed for a condition dubbed dormant bottom syndrome (DBS).

It occurs when the three major muscles in your bottom, collectively known as glutes, weaken — leaving other muscle groups in your body to pick up the slack.

But spending time working on these muscles could give you a toned behind just like Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock.

Personal trainer Julie Buckley says: “Largely down to the ridiculous amount of time we spend sitting down, it is very common for men and women to have weak gluteal muscles.

“DBS causes tightness in the hip flexors and the muscles connect your hip and trunk. It can also lead to a hunched upper back.

“It’s particularly common in people with desk jobs.”

And physiotherapist Andy Curtis says DBS could be causing problems and injuries for thousands of people who are not aware of it.

He says: “There’s evidence that bad posture has far-reaching, long-term effects which can result in very serious health problems.

“So if you suspect you have issues, it’s best to get checked out.”

One Australian study estimates that nearly SIX PER CENT of all deaths can be attributed to how much time is spent sitting each day.

If true, that would mean sitting too much is as bad for you as smoking and being overweight in terms of deaths.

Andy says: “If anyone suspects they could be at risk of mechanical problems because of DBS, they need to get a physio check.

“A full assessment will get to the bottom, literally, of what’s going on and you’ll come away with a management plan.

“I’d say only ten per cent of the people I see are mechanically as efficient as they should be. I suspect there are plenty of undiagnosed issues out there because of lazy glutes.”

If you suspect you have DBS, it is best get it sorted. Lazy glutes can lead to a host of seemingly unrelated physical and mental health conditions.

But if you do suffer from a lazy bottom, there are exercises you can do to fix it.

Andy says: “Squats, lunges, bridges — where you lie on the floor with your knees bent, then raise and lower your bottom — can all help.

“So can straight-leg deadlifts, where you keep your legs, arms and back straight then hinge at the waist to lift and lower a weight.”