I’ve struggled with knee pain my entire life.
Towards the tail end of my military service, I ended up having two knee surgeries to fix some loose bone fragments in my right knee.
This was a two-step surgical process that required drilling screws into my right knee and removing them after 12 weeks of rehab, which included 6 weeks of non-weight-bearing activity and 6 weeks of physical therapy. I had to go through that TWICE in 6 months.
Ever since then, I’ve had on-and-off pain in my knees, random bouts of tendonitis, and the occasional prolonged flare-up.
I’ve done countless hours of physical therapy and have put in more than 10x the time into my own training and rehab to build myself back up to where I am now.
If you have knee pain when you squat, run, and jump, you are not alone, and you do not have to live your life in pain.
The purpose of this blog post is to help you work through your knee pain with a few better positions and possibly some rehabilitative exercises to strengthen your knees so you can do the activities you enjoy.
Knee Pain When You Squat
If you have pain when you squat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an injury – you may just need to fix your squat stance.
- First, put your feet underneath your hips and shimmy out your feet a few more inches so that they are hip-to-shoulder width apart
Initiating the Squat
When you squat, you want to think about sending your hips back and down first, WHILE you bend your knees.
DON’T initiate your squat with your knees first.
As you sit your hips back and down, this should allow you to sit on your heels and take some pressure off of your knees.
The Descent of the Squat
On the way down of the squat, you should be focusing on pushing your toes into your shoes so that your feet grip the floor, and driving your knees out.
Pushing your toes into your shoes improves control, and driving your knees out keeps them from caving in, reducing stress on the knee joint and preventing pain.
Other Squatting Considerations
Although not directly correlated to knee pain, you should also aim to keep your chest as upright as possible. Doing this will allow you to stay balanced with your feet as well. If you are having trouble keeping your chest up, try to elevate your heels a few inches or hold a 5-10lb plate in front of you with your arms extended like you are holding a steering wheel.
You can also squat to a box to reduce the depth and give you more comfort, knowing you are squatting to a target.
Rehab For Knee Pain
If you have pain when you squat, and you have tried the fixes above to no avail, you may want to consider 5-10 minutes of rehabilitative exercises. Here are my favorites:
- Spanish Squats
The Spanish squats help build quad strength while keeping the shin vertical, reducing strain on the knee, and improving support around the joint.
Patellar Tendon Isometric Holds: Improve tendon strength and tolerance to load, reducing pain by increasing stability and resilience around the knee.
- Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts
The single-leg Romanian deadlift strengthens the hamstrings and glutes, helping shift load away from the knees and improving overall lower body balance. This is a great exercise to do, especially if you have knee pain while running and jumping.
- Patellar Tendon Isometric Holds
The patellar tendon isometric hold single-handedly fixed my knee pain, helped strengthen my patellar tendon to allow me to run and jump again without pain. This exercise improves tendon strength and tolerance to load, reducing pain by increasing stability and resilience around the knee.
Final Thoughts on Knee Pain And Working Out Around Injuries
If you are waiting for your body to feel 100% ready to exercise, you will be waiting for a long time. Your mood, energy, stress, flare-ups, and aches will always be a reason not to work out if you allow it. You can exercise around your aches and pains, modify movements, and improve your positions, which will help you reduce your pain levels.
I’m not a doctor or physical therapist, but I have extensive first-hand experience and have helped hundreds of people train pain-free and enjoy working out.
-Tucker Kistner / CF-L2 / Owner + Coach
