In your day to day activities, you may find yourself doing various tasks, but all of a sudden, you start experiencing sharp knee pain when squatting.
This should not be the case. When you develop sharp shooting pains in the knee anytime you squat during the exercise of going about your daily routine is an indication of an underlying problem.
There are many reasons why you experience bouts of pain in your knee anytime that you squat. Here they are:
1. YOU COULD BE SQUATTING INCORRECTLY
Did you ever know that there is a formula for squatting, especially when you are performing exercises?
Doing it incorrectly could be part of why you have to put up with sharp knee pain when squatting. When not done properly, the muscles and thighs are under intense pressure which spirals to the knee.
It is recommended that you take a short warm-up before undertaking any exercise where you squat.
2. SPRAINED KNEE
Knee sprains are common. They are part of the reason why you experience knee pain when bending.
They are common athletes. Studies show that knee-related injuries which end up becoming painful when you are squatting are at 39% among athletes.
However, this does not mean that you cannot suffer from a knee sprain if you are not an athlete. You can although chances of you nursing a sprained knee and you are not an athlete are slim.
Sprains cause swelling of the knee. This pressure makes it painful whenever you bend the knee or when you are squatting.
3. PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME
Also known as runner’s knee or jumper’s knee, patellofemoral pain syndrome is pain around the kneecap or the patella located on the front part of the knee.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, patellofemoral pain syndrome is the most common malady for knee pain.
It is seen in many adolescents, manual workers and ageing adults. The Academy indicates that it is caused by too much stress on the knee joint caused by overuse of the kneecaps.
The condition is also caused by sustained physical trauma or when the kneecap is not correctly aligned—the nerves in your tendons, bone and synovial tissue sense the stabbing knee pain.
4. TENDONITIS
Tendonitis is a condition which can cause sharp knee pain when squatting. Usually, tendons link the muscles to the bones.
When your tendons are strained too much or put to more use required, they end up causing swelling in your knee.
If you are a sports person, a footballer, soccer player, athlete, or hard manual labour, you could develop tendonitis.
5. KNEE ARTHRITIS
The inflammation of the joints is caused by knee osteoarthritis. It makes the knee joint painful and causes sharp knee pain when squatting.
This type of arthritis is more common in people who are above the age of 65.
Post-traumatic arthritis develops after the knee’s joint or ligaments are damaged by an injury. It spread the infection fast and caused the pain.
6. CARTILAGE/TENDON TEARS
Cartilage tear in the knee is caused by an injury. When you engage in physical activity, it aggravates the situation.
On the other hand, a tendon tear occurs as a result of weak tendons caused by jumping or a blow. The knee cap becomes tender and painful. Bending the knee and walking becomes extremely difficult.
7.ILIOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME
Inflammation of the iliotibial band (IT band) causes sharp knee pain when squatting.
IT band is crucial in knee movement as it starts from the hip to the upper leg and onto the knee. Anytime the knee bends, it moves to support it.
Once it is inflamed, it rubs against the out knee, thereby creating pain. If you are into athletics and do not stretch as required, you risk suffering from IT band syndrome.
HOW TO STOP YOUR KNEES FROM HURTING WHEN YOU SQUAT
The level of pain experienced is excruciating, but with the correct form of squatting, it is possible to keep knees safe from hurting whenever they bend. The correct form of exercising involving bending knees will fix knee pain from squats,
Secondly, if you earn your daily bread from hard manual labour, consider carrying less heavy loads. This eases pressure on the knees. With time, you can squat without knee pain.
Regular exercise keeps your muscles, joints and bones strong. Make sure it is moderate to give way to pain squats recovery. If overdone, it can cause to deterioration of the injury.
Stretching should be an important factor to consider in your daily routine. It alleviates the stiffness in the knee joints and muscles. Stiffness leads to stress build up in the joints and muscles.
Before embarking in athletic activities, have a short warm-up to get rid of knee pain after squats and lunges.
IS SQUATTING BAD FOR KNEES?
According to Arthritis Foundation, squatting is beneficial to the body as it helps in performing various routines and movement too.
Besides, squatting builds strength for core, lower back and leg muscles. The joints also become more stable.
When done wrongly though, they damage the knees by forming sores according to Cynthia Harrell, a physiotherapist and clinical coordinator of arthritis at the Duke Center for Living at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
SHOULD YOU WEAR KNEE WRAPS WHEN SQUATTING?
A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning cited that knee wraps when squatting limit the performance and benefits that come with it.
The research stated that it cuts quad muscle activation when wearing a knee wrap, making you train less. In some instances, they lead to injury.
“Wearing wraps all the time could potentially cause you to lose some of the stability you’d normally have in your knee. Then when you don’t wear the wraps and do something athletic, that knee stability isn’t there, and you could get injured,” Doug Kechijian, a Doctor of Physical Therapy are Peak Performance in New York City said.
Instead, you should consider knee sleeves. It is a better option and offers some friendliness to preventing tendonitis, common among powerlifters having squats.
CONCLUSION
Sharp knee pain when squatting is disturbing, to say the least. When you experience this kind of pain, you begin to wish you could squat without knee pain.
It may seem hard, but in the real sense, it is possible. Knowing what causes knee pain when squatting, you can avoid it by staying safe all through as you perform your squats.
Prevention is better than cure, they say, don’t forget that.
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