![]() In general, when someone is concerned about injury to the knee joint they are worried about damage to the soft tissues or a “wearing out” of the bone or cartilage components. The knee joint is where the femur and tibia meet in a fibrous capsule, containing cartilage, menisci, bursae, ligaments, and synovial fluid. But removing how they “look” from the question, we have to examine this myth by first identifying what it means when someone says squats are “bad for your knees.” Presumably, they are concerned over the possibility of injury or damage to the structure and function of your knee joint. And to people who battle knee pain or have suffered knee injuries, squats can be downright terrifying. So, what might have you been told about squats and your knees? Let’s dive in! Myth #1 – Squats Are Bad For Your Knees And, contrary to what you may have been told, you’d actually be doing your knees a favor. If you remember from Part 1 of this series, I said that “if you can squat, you should squat.” So does this exclude the 1 in 4 adults who experience frequent knee pain, or the person missing their ACL, or the older adult with arthritic joints? Are these conditions that preclude them from the many benefits of squatting? Absolutely not! If you can get on and off the commode, you can squat. So they tell them to just keep gardening and walking around the mall. And while many physicians are quick to prescribe exercise to their clients with osteoarthritis or persistent knee pain, they don’t have the time or experience to adequately instruct their patients on exactly what that exercise should include. This despite holding themselves out as the industry experts in all things exercise related. While I have the utmost respect for the profession of Physical Therapy, few physical therapists have actually lifted a barbell before and fewer still have explored the physics and biomechanics of a properly performed squat to the extent that a Starting Strength Coach has. “ You’ll wreck your knees squatting with all that weight! ”Īs a physical therapist, if I had a dollar for every time I heard a colleague demonize squats-especially below parallel-I could probably have paid for my Starting Strength seminar. “ My knees are too worn out from when I was young, and squatting will wear them out even more. “ I can’t squat down all the way because I tore my ACL. Hip strengthening can also be accomplished with advanced hip exercises like the single-leg bridge or with ball bridges.Squat Myths and Misconceptions: Taking Down the Knee Naysayers *This article is the third in a series in which Coach Liz Zeutschel talks about different myths surrounding the squat. Your gluteus maximus will be working if you do the prone straight leg raise. If you are lying on your side while doing it, your gluteus medius muscles will be working. You can perform straight leg raises in different positions. Hold your straight leg up for a few seconds.Be sure to keep your knee straight the entire time. ![]()
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