Stop Destroying Your Knees with Deep Squats
- sam17903
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
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Since the middle of last century there has been debate regarding the safety of deep Squats for the knees. However in this recent systematic review, it was shown that most high quality studies suggested that deep squats were not harmful for symptom-free knees, with some of the studies showing that they actually helped mitigate knee pain and injury.
And the studies that did suggest that deep squats may be harmful did so based on mechanistic explanations, arguing that they put more stress on the knee joint. However, we know that stress can lead to positive adaptation if applied correctly, and so this should be viewed as a good thing.
For people who are experiencing knee pain, modification of squat depth is one of the variables we can adjust to help with symptoms but for those with no existing knee pain, as long as they are programmed correctly, deep squats can be a fantastic way to improve knee health and strengthen the lower body.
Rojas-Jaramillo, A., Cuervo-Arango, D. A., Quintero, J. D., Ascuntar-Viteri, J. D., Acosta-Arroyave, N., Ribas-Serna, J., ... & RodrÃguez-Rosell, D. (2024). Impact of the deep squat on articular knee joint structures, friend or enemy? A scoping review. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, 1477796.