Avoid These Three Squatting Mistakes to Exercise Without Back Pain
When performed correctly - the squat can be one of the most beneficial exercises for improving mobility and strength for less pain and injury. As with any movement - when performed incorrectly can actually contribute to more pain and injury.
Avoid these three common squatting mistakes to avoid pain and stay our of the doctors office.
Unlocking at the Knees
When descending into the squat many people (especially those that are hypermobile) will start the descent by unlocking at the knees. This will put a lot of force through the knee which will eventually lead to pain. When squatting UNLOCKING AT THE HIPS is the most important cue to remember.
Squatting Too Low
The unarguable requisite to safe and effective squat patterning is the maintenance of a neutral spine throughout the full range of motion. A common mistake people make when performing to squat is going lower than their body is able. This creates a compensation that has been termed ‘the Butt Wink’. The Butt Wink is a backward rotation of the pelvis that causes a rounding of our lumbar spine. This is an unstable position for the spine and can cause serious injury (especially when heavy weights are added!)
Narrow Stance
Most people, at some point in their lives, were told that ‘proper’ squat positioning means feet are hip distance apart with toes pointed forward. The problem with this theory is that every body (especially the hips and pelvis) is shaped just a little bit differently. If our stance if too narrow for our body shape, it can cause our chest to fall forward or pinching in the front of the hips.
Is your back pain (or shoulder, knee, neck, etc) really a back problem? If you’ve experienced pain on more than three separate occasions odds are you have a movement problem that is leading to back pain. We see this pattern all the time here in the clinic. We recently treated a 56 year old cyclist who was experiencing pain on her rides. She had tried routine chiropractic care and physical therapy and only achieved limited results. Needless to say she was skeptical.
After examining her movement patterns and creating a custom plan of manual therapy and corrective exercises she is back to her active lifestyle with no pain and no worries that she will be forced to miss out on her cycling activities,