Why do my knees hurt when I do squats? Why can't my knees go beyond my toes when I do squats?

The cold winter has passed, and it is time to slowly put the fitness plan on the agenda. Do regular fitness exercises every day to get rid of the "fat" accumulated on your body. In addition to aerobic exercises such as running, we can also use squats and other movements to reduce fat and shape certain parts of the body. Squats require the use of the knees, so why do knees hurt after squats?

Why do knees hurt when doing squats?

This is often caused by not warming up sufficiently, squatting incorrectly, or squatting with too much weight.

Meniscus problems: Pain when squatting usually results from a slight tear in the meniscus, a cartilage disk that runs between the tibia and femur and absorbs impact pressure to the knee. Pain can occur on the inside of the knee. This can be caused by weak hips, hamstrings, or a lack of contraction when squatting.

Patellar tendinitis: Patellar tendinitis is another common knee pain condition when squatting. This problem affects the kneecap, shinbone. When the tendon membrane is damaged, irritated or stressed, it can cause knee pain. This symptom is not only seen during squats, but can also affect running, playing sports, etc.

Chondromalacia patella: The pain is generally centered in the knee, specifically just below or behind the kneecap. This pain tends to be more intense as you move into a squat. You will feel the knee crushing and buckling inside. Chondromalacia patella is caused by certain biomechanical or muscle imbalances that lead to increased wear on the cartilage.

Why shouldn't your knees go beyond your toes when squatting?

"Toes facing forward, knees and toes in line, knees not exceeding toes"; the knees not exceeding toes mentioned here is from the perspective of safety. Considering the different levels of practitioners, the action suggestions are based on safety, so the unified caliber is "not exceeding toes". This is to standardize training movements and provide basic guarantees for beginners; to avoid serious consequences caused by problems such as unfamiliar movements, excessive movement intensity, and hyperextension of joints during training.

Can you squat over your toes? This also depends on the structure of our body. Everyone's torso proportions are different, so the position of their legs during the squat is also different. The length ratio of the thigh and calf and the ratio of the leg to the torso are factors that affect it.

How to relieve knee pain from squats

During exercise, the muscles around the joints will help share the burden of the joints, so exercising the quadriceps is very effective in strengthening and protecting the knee joints. And if you already have obvious discomfort in your knee joints, you need to choose some movements that will not put too much load on the knee joints when exercising the quadriceps. The best movement is to squat against the wall (with appropriate weight).

First squat to an angle that does not cause joint pain, then gradually squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground according to your own situation. Be careful not to bend your knees inward during this movement.

If you want to continue doing squats during this period, you must do a thorough warm-up. When squatting, exercise moderately with a weight and squatting angle that does not cause pain, and try to give your knee joints sufficient rest.

Related News

Squat training is a major exercise for fitness and also a major exercise for training thigh muscles. During squat training, the knees will inevitably be affected. If there are old injuries in the knee area, you should train with light weights, or do squats slowly, and use equipment such as leg presses instead of squat training. After improving the corresponding training ability, do squat training again.

When doing squat training, the back and waist should be kept straight, with the hip joint lower than the knee joint; the knee joint should be opened outwards and aligned with the toes; the hip should be bent when squatting, and the legs should be used to exert force when squatting. Keeping the back and waist straight and exerting force on the legs when squatting is the premise for protecting the waist under the premise of ensuring the effect of squat training; the knee joint should be opened outwards and aligned with the toes to avoid knee injuries.