Squat Mechanics

Squats are a complicated exercise biomechanically speaking. The joints and muscles of the ankle, knee, hip and low back are all involved. This means that there are many ways for compensation patterns to form in the kinetic chain. In people who work out long term, issues with form- including compensation patterns and muscular imbalances- can lead to injury or plateaus and drops in performance. Interestingly enough, you can get a good idea of what imbalances and motor patterns you will see during squatting by looking at someone’s normal posture while sitting. With the fact that seated time is on the rise, this means that most of us may see imbalances stemming from the seated position we find our body gravitating toward.

Back to the Squat!

As you lower into a squat, the hip, knee and ankle all go into flexion. The low back should neither move into extension or flexion but remain neutral which is difficult as the pelvis and sacrum should rotate backward or downward. Since the pelvis is rotating, the low back joints (discs and facet joints) are open to varying degrees from least amount in the upper low back and most in the lower low back due to the low back having to straighten slightly to accommodate the pelvic rotation. The disc now has more pressure applied to the front of it and less applied to the back. This is due to the “wedge” shape that the disc takes on in this situation (the higher side of the wedge being in the rear of the disc). Injury can happen if the spine is not kept as neutral as possible.

Imbalance in Squatting

At the depth of a squat the following imbalances can create problems: a knee deviating outward, an ankle that is immobile or gluteus muscles that are not firing correctly allowing the hip to deviate outward. If this happens, the low back can be injured. Our bodies are good at protecting us. When these deviations occur during exercise, the body may compensate for the redistribution of weight through muscle spasms (which is one method your body uses to keep further injury from occurring) or direct injury may occur as the redistribution of weight may damage the back if the angle is biomechanically opposed to the position of the joints of the low back which are already under tension and pressure. Rapid changes in pressure can quickly lead to low back musculoskeletal injury.

How can we help?

Feeling imbalances? We can use postural image screening to check form and analyze each joint individually involved in the motion. By taking multiple images from multiple angles we can monitor low back, hip, knee and ankle position throughout. We can use this information to dictate specific rehab exercises performed in the office or at home. We can also use it to inform the adjustments we perform in the low back, hip, knee or ankle to restore normal range of motion. This leaves the joints at their optimal functionality and allows your body to retrain with proper mechanics.

In pain? Through detailed examination and diagnosis, we can determine what is the cause of the current pain the patient is experiencing. This dictates how we treat. Strained muscles or spasming muscles can be treated through manual therapy, E-stim, ultrasound and Graston technique. Sprained facet joints can be adjusted or stretched through Flexion Distraction therapy. Discs that are injured can be returned to their normal position through Flexion Distraction Therapy, Intersegmental Traction therapy and manual manipulation.

By getting assessed and treated, many people find improved depth and quantity of squats performed.