squat, POP, ouch

[JohnRobHolmes]

my knee let out an awful pop during squats today. my 5x5 was cut short midway through the second set. i settled with SLDL's and kept doing squat with just my body weight to test it out. it hurts when my knee gets over my toes (that doesnt happen during squats), its a sharp pain on the inside of the knee under the kneecap. after my DLs i tried some front squats and no pain. my knee is kinda bugging me now. what the fuck is up with me? looks like squats are taking a week off.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

You gotta be careful with squats man. How good is your form and technique?

You go all the way down don't you?

You prolly bounce a little in the bottom huh?

Do you have long femur's?

Several years ago I hurt my knee doing full squats and it took almost a year to heal up fully. I don't blame full squats, but I do blame slightly bouncing in the bottom.

That's one of the reasons I do powerlifting style squats now. Never get any knee pain.

Take it easy and don't do any squats until your next scheduled workout. Then test it out by doing bodyweight only squats nice and slow. If your knee still bothers you then layoff it again until the next weeks workout. Could be a strain or tear.

A guy once told me they can make you a superman, but if you don't respect them and learn proper form that they can just as easily turn you into a Christopher Reeve's in a wheelchair.

 

[bignate73]

one main point, never relax at the bottom! the ACL can't hold your knee together on its own.

 

[anthrax]

one main point, never relax at the bottom! the ACL can't hold your knee together on its own.

You mean staying 2-3 seconds with the hamstrings on the calves puts a lot of strain on the knee ?

It's what I'm doing......

 

[yomama]

my knee let out an awful pop during squats today. my 5x5 was cut short midway through the second set. i settled with SLDL's and kept doing squat with just my body weight to test it out. it hurts when my knee gets over my toes (that doesnt happen during squats), its a sharp pain on the inside of the knee under the kneecap. after my DLs i tried some front squats and no pain. my knee is kinda bugging me now. what the fuck is up with me? looks like squats are taking a week off.

Go to a chiropractor and make him reffer you to a doctor for an MRI scan on your knee. Dont go to a regular doctor because they are useless.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

I agree about going to a regular doctor for knee injuries. They are basically useless. I know haha. K for you.

 

[anthrax]

Originally Posted by bignate73
one main point, never relax at the bottom! the ACL can't hold your knee together on its own.

You mean staying 2-3 seconds with the hamstrings on the calves puts a lot of strain on the knee ?

It's what I'm doing......

BUMP

 

[bignate73]

pausing isnt bad. but most people go down ham to calf and tend to relax slightly. this opens up the knee. think of it like putting your two fists together and then separate them slightly. thats what happens when you relax in the hole. the ligaments are what hold it together. Look at a breakdown of the knee and you'll see how hefty those ligaments are. makes me stay tight, thats for sure.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

i bet thats what happened- i got loose at the bottom. of course its the same injury that happened when i was in high school when my coach piled on weight and didnt bother to check my form.

im just RICE'n it and my leg days are now calf days. im gonna get swole calfs for once. ill just rep out those little bundles

 

[anthrax]

Makes sense

Thanks

 

[cockdesiel]

also may sure youre warmed up properly before training heavy. Most people fail to realize that joints, esp. the knees, take a while to get warm.

 

[AirWolf]

Go to a chiropractor and make him reffer you to a doctor for an MRI scan on your knee. Dont go to a regular doctor because they are useless.

I agree about regular doctors, but don't go to a chiropractor - they don't know jack about knees either. Suprisingly the best dr. for this and most sports related injuries is a Orthopaedic Surgeon. All they deal with is bone and joint issues so they are the experts when it comes to ligament and tendons. Trust me, I've had more broken bones, separated shoulders, torn cartilage, ripped tendons, and strained ligaments at the age of 26 than a person should have in 3 lifetimes. I think I'm actually dealing with a strained ligament in my knee right now...I'm gonna give it another week to heal before seeing the dr - they are way too expensive for a casual visit these days.

 

[anthrax]

also may sure youre warmed up properly before training heavy. Most people fail to realize that joints, esp. the knees, take a while to get warm.

If no cardio machine is available (which happen frequently) what do you do for warming up before squats and for how long

I use to do squat with an empty barbell for a few minutes but it's not enough

 

[Carmen]

yikes, be careful- take some time off. when you do go back to squatting, wrap your knees with GOOD knee wraps. if you want a video showing you how to wrap, let me know.

 

[anthrax]

yikes, be careful- take some time off. when you do go back to squatting, wrap your knees with GOOD knee wraps. if you want a video showing you how to wrap, let me know.

Thanks Sugarplum but I'd rather use low weight and stay away from belts and wraps

BTW, ART helped A LOT

 

[Carmen]

Thanks Sugarplum but I'd rather use low weight and stay away from belts and wraps

BTW, ART helped A LOT

how about, use low weights and stay safe?

 

[anthrax]

how about, use low weights and stay safe?

 

[Carmen]

knee wraps aren't a crutch- they don't help you lift, they help you stay safe- keeps your knee functioning and stops the POP.

 

[anthrax]

knee wraps aren't a crutch- they don't help you lift, they help you stay safe- keeps your knee functioning and stops the POP.

Then I may consider trying them

 

[Carmen]

Then I may consider trying them

i'll find you articles if you want references to the benefits of wrapping your knees.

 

[anthrax]

i'll find you articles if you want references to the benefits of wrapping your knees.

That would be great

Knowledge is power

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

i would definatly be interested in some knee wrappage. i cant stand being idle. i only got into the gym once this week so far my problem right now is just walking to my car!

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

I'd stay away from knee wrapping unless you need them.

Knee wraps are generally used for max squats, not regular squatting workouts.

 

[Carmen]

I'd stay away from knee wrapping unless you need them.

Knee wraps are generally used for max squats, not regular squatting workouts.

not if you have knee problems.
its like only wearing your seatbelt on the highway.

Here's an article by fred "dr. squat" hatfield:
http://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/drsquat/fredknee.htm
please note this part:

"Knee wraps have long been a mainstay for competitive powerlifters, and for good reason. When properly used, wraps can dramatically improve knee safety during heavy squatting. More important, however, is the fact that wraps give you at least a 5-10 percent increase in how much you can lift. But there’s a downside to using wraps also. Wearing them while squatting under 80-85 percent or so is counterproductive to providing adaptive overload to various tissues comprising the knee. Simply, the wrap absorbs the stress instead of the tissues, so they never get stronger. Guidelines for wearing knee wraps during squatting are as follows:
1. Keeping your knees warm (wrapped loosely) improves blood flow and
2. tissue elasticity,
3. If the weight you're using is greater than 80-85 percent of your maximum,
or
4. If you have knee problems that require wearing wraps."

 

[wnt2bBeast]

if your form is solid i dont see anything wrong with wrapping your knees if it alleviates pain..but you need to fnd out why your getting the pain in the first place..ask someone that knows how to squat to watch your form or get a video and post here..B-fold, NS and a few others will be able to critique your form..

 

[anthrax]

OK guys, I'll ask my ART practioner and I'll keep you updated

Thanks a lot Sugarplum for the article

BTW, who's wearing wraps here ?

 

[Carmen]

OK guys, I'll ask my ART practioner and I'll keep you updated

Thanks a lot Sugarplum for the article

BTW, who's wearing wraps here ?

well not at the MOMENT i'm not. lol
but when i squat i do. one knee got dodgy on me for a bit so i started and just stuck with it. i'd rather not have knee problems later.

and, your welcome.

 

[anthrax]

Have you tried ART ?

If you feel better after a week of rest then it may be wise to see someone

I waited with a bad knees for years until it got really painful and now it will take months to fully recover instead of weeks if I had seen my ART earlier

 

[curgeo]

Make sure to ice the area and use ibuprofen to reduce the swelling. Stay off it as far as training.....make an appointment with your Doctor to see a knee specialist. Sports meds are really good at it. Killer on Anabolicfitness is an excellent judge of things such as this.

Do not bounce in the bottom and like bignate said, do not relax. When you do a squat and only come down to parallel you place extra pressure on the knee cap due to the unnatural static position. Make sure when it heals, to come all the way down when you squat. Stay away from the smith machine and hack squats as they put great sheer pressure on the knee.