In other words, if you constantly squat above parallel, you ll get stronger in that position, but not really improve strength for things like getting up and down from the floor, squatting down to pick up heavy items off the ground, catching nd standing a clean or snatch at full depth. Research by Bloomquist et al showed that deep squats improved strength throughout the range of motion while shallow squats did improve strength a little more at shallow depth, but minimal strength increase at deeper positions. Ok, gonna get nerdy and dive a bit deeper to include some research on technique for the next few paragraphs. If you are having pain with a certain lift/movement and want it assessed, or just want to dial in technique, I do offer movement assessments. Or maybe you’re letting your knees come inward even just slightly with squats or sumo deadlifts and causing undue stress. If it’s just at the transition point at the bottom of a squat, maybe you’re only going to parallel, which is actually the knee angle with the highest amount of pressure on the knees. For example, if it’s just with running, maybe you’re not keeping enough bend in your knee throughout the gait cycle, causing increased stress on the knee. This will be it’s own blog (or maybe Eboko!) soonĪs far as technique goes, it really kind of depends on when you’re having pain. Typically, if a mobility issue is at play, it is either from the hips or ankles, though it could be from further up as well. But what are some ways to build up strength?” Here ya go:įirst, I should explain that it’s not always as simple as “get stronger.” Mobility and technique also need to be considered when figuring out the cause of knee pain. So I bet you’re like “Sweet, so strength is important. Strength training has countless benefits and should definitely be a part of your life) Heavy squats fix everything (read: your body wants to be loaded. Every profession has it's bad and good apples.Ģ. Don't let a doctor's opinion dictate your own opinion or your life. I honestly LOVE heavy squats and deadlifts, and I am constantly challenge myself! And you know what I realized once I left soccer but was still in the gym doing weightlifting? My knees only bothered me when I did one of 2 things: wayyyyy overdid it or skipped the gym and hiking several days in a row. I still lift and do Crossfit 4-6 days a week and trail run or hike in the off days. And with that came weight training once I got to high school. I agreed to quit all hard court sports like basketball (though to be fair, as soon as everyone else hit their growth spurt, I probably wouldn't have lasted) and gymnastics. And let's be real, still devastating to an active college student. This is devastating news to a very active and athletic fifth grader. With each of these instances (a few others didn't require surgery), I was told yet again that I should stop doing any high impact activity, never run on hard ground, that I should never do heavy squats, and definitely don't go below parallel even without weight. Though one surgery was an ACL reconstruction where they took out part of my patellar tendon and put it where the ACL should be. Lack of blood flow to bone causing cracks to form in the cartilage and underlying bone. Most of my knee injuries have been due to Osteochondritis Dissecans (Rare condition. You see, I've had three knee surgeries, with the 1st one being in 5th grade and the last being a cartilage graft during college. Why? Because I let the nocebo (negative thoughts) given to me medical professionals dictate my movement. I also avoiding running and would get nervous hiking downhill. And less pressure = less risk of damage or pain.įor years, I avoided squatting below parallel, catching heavy weight in a squat such as full cleans and snatches, and had a crazy wide squat stance. the ligaments, meniscus, and cartilage in the knee don’t have to absorb quite as much force as they would otherwise. You see, the stronger the muscles around a joint are, the more they can unload the joint - i.e. And the only time I have knee pain is when I take 4 or more days off from activity. Fast forward to today, and I'm 32 and not only do I Crossfit 4-5 days a week, but my off days are usually spent trail running and/or hiking. "Your knees are shot and if you keep up all the activity you're doing, you won't walk at 30"- what I was told by medical professionals at age 18 after my 3rd knee surgery.