supreme, bignate, or anyone please help..

[Debaser]

When I squat, my knees push out to the side quite a bit, and I noticed:

Whenever I mimic this by lying on my back and pulling a knee up to my chest, it has to go out to the side as it gets closer to my chest, and if i try to push the knee/leg inwards, it feels as if there's a painful obstruction somewhere in the hip, and sometimes on the inner knees there is pain as well (though more of a pulling, tearing type pain at the knees rather than the sharp obstruction-like feel at the hips).

Do you think this is mere inflexibility or weakness about a certain area? Something else? Or are you baffled...

 

[bignate73]

how is your hamstring flexibility? i attribute this to the feeling you get in your knees
how is your glute flexibility? ie. can you lie on your back and cross your ankle over leg? i figure this is one reason why your hips feel obstructed.
how is your low back? if your low back is chronically tight, when you are squatting down, you cant nutate your hips and thus your knees flare out.

 

[supreme]

Nate is right, if your lateral hamstrings (biceps femoris) are tight your feet will rotate out. Also if the deep hip external rotators tight & the adductors weak you will flare out during a squat. Work on stretching the low back and releasing the hips by practicing tilting your pelvis from neutral to ant/post tilts and back to neutral.

A great book is Facilitated Stretching available at Human Kinetics.com, if stretching doesn't help try ART.

Try balancing out your hamstring strength by perfroming your leg curls with your feet internally rotated and strengthen your adductors. You can strengthen the the adductors in the squat pattern by performing deep knee bends or wall squats while pinching a medicine ball between your knees.

S

 

[bigstve12]

check for piriformis tightness