‘New fear unlocked’ among employees after they discover what ‘office chair butt’ is

Many of us spend most of our days sat in an office chair typing away at a keyboard until the clock strikes 5 and we can all get cracking with our tea.

So, it's only natural that we've experienced a handful of office phenomena - see 'office hot', 'office air' and even the controversial 'coffee badging' trend.

But it seems the workplace environment can be doing a whole lot more damage than it seems as a brand new fear has been 'unlocked' among employees after discovering what 'office chair butt' is.

TikToker's are terrified of developing 'office chair butt' (megaflopp / Getty Images)

Now, we already know all about 'dead butt syndrome' but what on earth is 'office chair butt' and why should we be so wary of it?

What is 'office chair butt'?

The new health phenomenon taking over TikTok at the mo means pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.

It simply refers to the physical changes in your, um, behind, caused by sitting on an office chair for extended periods at a time - AKA an eight-hour work day.

It's all do with your glutes (bymuratdeniz / Getty Images)

The risks of having an 'office chair butt'?

Working a 9-5 without much movement in between can lead to a weakness in the gluteus maximus muscle, or your 'glutes', as excessive sitting without regular exercise can alter the appearance of your butt over time.

This is because inactivity leads to a loss of muscle tone and shape.

"By sitting in a chair for hours, days, weeks, and years like many of us do, we neglect our glutes and they can become very deconditioned and lose muscle mass as a result," Andrew Bach, DO, physical medicine and rehab specialist at Cedars-Sinai told Health.

The expert also explained that this could result in the muscle 'losing tone and eventually shape', adding: "This can result in a flat butt appearance or a very soft, fleshy butt if muscle is replaced with adipose tissue [or] fat."

This can even change the appearance of our derrières as Bach eerily warned that excessive sitting can actually lead to our bodies 'moulding into the shape of our chairs'.

A standing desk is a good way to combat 'office chair butt' (Luis Alvarez / Getty Images)

How to treat it

The good news is that 'office chair butt' is totally avoidable.

To avoid developing it, try to stand up and stretch every once in a while, and incorporate regular exercise into your routine.

In short, you've got to activate your glutes regularly throughout the day - whether that's taking walks throughout the day, opting for the stairs instead of the lift or even using a standing desk.

Equally, you can even do some mini work-outs whilst seated including glute squeezes or calf raises every 15 mins, Bach suggested.

Brb, just going to do some yoga.