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Squatting is an essential part of life. Sitting down on a couch, getting out of a car, and rising from a chair all involve squatting. Ascending or descending a flight of stairs requires several shallow squats on each leg.
However, when people have hip or knee pain that occurs during or after activities that require squatting-- and their X-rays or MRIs don’t reveal problems that surgery can fix-- they are often told that they should stop squatting. This advice frustrates most people who enjoy being active.
I disagree with this advice.
Most people with hip or knee pain can squat without pain if the squat becomes easy enough.
Rather than eliminate squatting altogether, I determine how much of their body weight they can squat without pain during or afterwards. I use a Variable Incline Plane to measure their Squat Load Tolerance:
After I’ve identified a person’s Squat Load Tolerance, I can more accurately recommend what exercises and activities to temporarily avoid, and what specific exercises to perform. This helps me create a plan for clients to improve their Squat Load Tolerance, allowing them to return to activities they enjoy without hip or knee pain.
For more information on strengthening knee joints, read How to Grow Strong Knee Joints and Can You Rebuild Knee Cartilage?
To determine if working with me is a good fit for you to improve your Squat Load Tolerance, schedule a Strategy Session by clicking here.
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