Is a Butt Wink Bad?

Is The Butt Wink Bad For Your Back?

The Butt Wink can be seen at the bottom of a squat when the low back moves into flexion and starts to round. This can put additional pressure on muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis, and maybe even the low back disks. It is not really possible to have a full deep squat and not have some lumbar flexion, so it’s normal but should not be excessive or early in the squat.

There are a few possible causes of excessive Butt Wink. 

• Poor Ankle Mobility
• Poor Technique
• Poor Core Stability Control
• Poor Hip Range of Movement

If you have low back pain with squatting, please find someone who can evaluate both your technique and your mobility/tability of the lower body.

Ankle Mobility: You need sufficient dorsiflexion of the ankle to squat deep. Lack of this mobility can cause your low back to have to compensate and round earlier.

Poor Technique: Thi typically come down to poor posture awareness and lack of core bracing. You need to focus on proper posture during the squat and making sure you engage your core muscles to stabilize your spine

Limited Hip ROM: This is a common problem. You need sufficient flexion of your hips and also enought rotation. You can compensate for this to toe-out your stance and make your stane wider, but still it’s vital to have sufficient jip mobility to avoid hip and/or back pain

Bottomline: Some Butt Wink is normal, but should be minimal and should only be present in the deepest part of the squat. We all move differently, so slight movement issues are not important, but excessive deviations might need an evaluation, especially if there is pain.