Pain in the knee when squatting is perhaps the most common complaint after weight training in a fitness club. The knee joint is very complex in structure, and therefore it is easy to damage - not only with the fall, but also with improperly performing exercises.
Why do knees ache when squatting?
A complaint of pain in the knee joint can be heard not only from a person of advanced age, but also from a young and healthy athlete. The reasons for such an annoying phenomenon can be very different:
- Wrong technique of doing squats, lunges and other exercises. When doing exercises, it is important to make sure that the knees look straight ahead (during the squat, the knees should be parallel to the foot and not go out for it) and not at an acute angle, because in this position too much load is placed on the joint, which contributes to the appearance unpleasant sensations. If you feel pain in the knee joint while squatting, and not before or after it, chances are high that your problem is exactly this.
- A sharp, sharp pain in the knee when squatting can indicate that you have sustained a serious injury - stretching or even rupturing the ligaments in the joint. In the event that the pain during squats is very strong and does not subside even after stopping the exercise, it is necessary to apply dry cold (ice wrapped in polyethylene and cloth) and contact a trauma doctor.
- If the pain in the knee is constant, and increases when you squat or descend the stairs, it is likely that you have Osgood-Schlatter disease. This disease often begins after a knee injury, but sometimes develops and for no apparent reason. Usually such a disease passes for 2-3 weeks and very rarely passes into a chronic form.
- If knees crunch while squatting, this can be an alarming symptom of developing arthrosis. In the first stages it is just a crunch and pain that pass after training, but already at this stage it is necessary to consult a doctor for qualified help.
- Excessive load - squats with heavy burdening, overweight, training at the limit of opportunities can also contribute to knee pains after squats. The load should be determined on the basis of its physical capabilities and never work at the limit, because as a result you will get no faster result, and serious health problems.
- For women, the actual cause of the crunch in the knees when squatting is often the habit of walking on excessively high heels (above 5-6 cm).
- In addition, almost always a crunch or knee pain, if not a consequence of an injury, indicates a lack of vitamins and salt deposition, which requires changing the type of nutrition to a more useful option (include more fruits and vegetables in the diet, and also to exclude sweet, salted, smoked, floury and fatty).
How to cope with pain in the knee?
Joints, especially the knee, require very careful treatment, why in any case it is recommended to see a doctor. However, you can get rid of knee pain and folk methods, but they should be used as ancillary, and not as a substitute for the option offered by the doctor. The methods are as follows:
- Compresses from milk mixed with bran in a 1: 1 ratio. Such a compress should be fixed on a fixed knee for at least half an hour and repeated on a daily basis;
- daily, take warm baths for the knees. If desired, a decoction of herbs or essential oils can be added to the bath, and after 20-30 minutes, wipe dry thoroughly and spread the knee with any unrefined oil;
- if you have a suspicion of arthrosis, always perform an exercise "bicycle" or "scissors" 1-2 times a day;
- there is still such an effective and simple exercise to strengthen the knees: put a pancake weighing 5-15 kg (start with the smallest weight, gradually increasing it), sit in front of him on the bench, and move first the inside of the sock (heel at the same time from the floor is not tear off), and then external (pancake should be returned to the place by hand). Repeat the exercise 20 times for each leg;
- If problems with the knee became serious, it makes sense to undergo a course of physiotherapy;
- consult with your doctor, you should probably take special supplements;
- with regular pain you can try to use special orthopedic plasters on grasses.
The main thing is to control the load, and do not allow exercise "through pain", because the knee joint needs to be kept healthy and working until old age!