Right knee pay during squat

Neal Winkler · 12-06-2006, 02:04 PM

Couple of weeks ago I started getting slight pain in my right knee when going below parallel in the squat. The pain is usually associated with a pop in the right knee only. At the time I did feel that I was squatting unevenly for some reason, like one side was pushing more than the other. However, my knee feels ok during deadlifts and step-ups.

I'm guessing just back away from the squats for a while then periodically test myself to see if the the pain has gone away. Step-ups could iron out any imbalances that I may have. That my novice perscription. Any advice?

Mike ODonnell · 12-06-2006, 04:42 PM

Pop and Pay...I mean Pain (see message title for joke) can't be good. No doctor here, may be inflammation acting up? Change the diet up any? Other than that...stretch the quads, hams, etc...see if that helps any. Anything more serious go to a doc.

Eva Claire Synkowski · 12-06-2006, 04:54 PM

i too have right knee pain during squats. dont know exactly where your pain is (and the popping with pain is no good)- but mine's from super tight IT band. if youve got a foam roller around, try it on your IT band. if you've never done it before, its about as comfortable as foam rolling your quads - youll know if its tight!

Steve Shafley · 12-06-2006, 05:24 PM

I've used a tennis ball on my IT bands and it hurt, but it wasn't enough. Neither was a regular foam roller. I had to go to a piece of PVC for the pressure I needed and it made me cry.

Eva Claire Synkowski · 12-06-2006, 05:30 PM

dude - that is hard core. i would rather stick a fork in my eye than pvc my IT band.

Steve Shafley · 12-06-2006, 05:47 PM

It hurt so good. I broke out into a sweat doing it.

Ken Urakawa · 12-06-2006, 06:49 PM

I've got the same thing.
(And c'mon Shafley, man up and use the golf ball!)

Greg Everett · 12-06-2006, 07:34 PM

definitely foam roll and stretch the ITBs and rectus femoris. if that RF especially is tight and/or choppy, it can tug on the knee cap and create those tracking issues and accompanying pain. try luinging and grabbing the back ankle to really hit the RF, or put the foot up on a box, ball etc.

Mike ODonnell · 12-07-2006, 06:04 PM

Neal,

Just curious, do you do any "leg extensions"?

"These researchers also found that open-chain exercise (leg extensions) produced more rectus femoris activity while closed-chain activity (squats) increased recruitment of the larger, more powerful vasti muscles

Ask anyone "in the know" and they'll tell you that rapid and strong vastus medialis recruitment is imperative for knee health — and VMO function is the first thing to go in the presence of knee injuries. Why would we want to do an exercise that promotes delayed firing of the muscle?

Moreover, the rectus femoris is an extremely common cause of knee and hip pain in lifters due to excessive trigger points and poor flexibility; the last thing it needs is more direct work! What it does need is lots of soft-tissue work (foam rolling, massage, ART) and dynamic and static flexibility attention."

from http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1306675

Motion MacIvor · 12-08-2006, 01:44 AM

I had a similar problem a few years ago and solved it with lots of advil, ice ITB stretches and lunges. Nothing new in this pot but I thought it might help to reinforce.