Knee pain from squats - advice

[edd2iron]

My right knee kills when I squat for about a day. I currently strength train 3 times a week and run 3-4 times a week with 1 rest day. Absolute beginner following 5x5 and squatting 50kg. This isn't too bad a weight, I'm pretty comfortable doing it, if it wasn't for my knee pain. I can avoid it hurting by not squatting too deep - maybe 45 degrees or so. I've not gotten further with my squat weight because I don't feel they're legit squats, but even squatting without a bar causes the same issues.

Are there any ways I can try and strengthen my knee so it doesn't hurt? Or products that might help prevent it? Or different exercises I can do in place of a squat? Or should I just accept not squatting deeply and carry on with 5x5?

[mtpockets]

The information is pretty vague. Where in the knee is the pain. Is it both knees? or just one. If it's both and only when squatting, maybe get someone or video to really check your form.

You mentioned you were a runner. Runners knee is a thing.

With all that said, your knees are pretty important and can cause a lot of grief. Perhaps getting a professional medical opinion and advice would be a good route to take before doing further damage..

Good Luck and welcome aboard, I hope you find relief soon.

[air2fakie]

Besides seeing a sports doctor, have you tried resting?

45 degree squats at that weight are a bit of a waste of time IMO, but if you can't do a bodyweight squat without severe knee pain I'd see a doctor.

[SuicideGripMe]

Form video would help. Do you have knees collapsing?

Realistically, almost everyone I have worked with can achieve box squatting with no knee pain if they don't have a major injury or issue. Check out some videos and give it a try at home on a chair. Dave Tate and the elitefts crew have tons of videos on this.

[OldFartTom]

Nothing much to add to the fine advice above except to mention that long term squatting to only 45 degrees (top half of a squat) can in some cases cause knee pain down the line (the same as running can). Just doing the top half isn't a solution long term, unless you're instructed to train that way by a physical therapist due to a specific medical need

If you're an absolute beginner never squatted before, fairly light build person and training hard in running also, then 5*5 at 50kg 3 times a week will be a shock to your system. When I very very first started squatting (and the other big lifts etc) I was also starting training for half marathon, and bodyweight was perhaps 75kg. Even on weights like 50kg it was tough at the time.

Maybe back off to 30kg and slowly work back up. When you say 5*5, do you mean something like Strong lifts?

[Gandog]

Form would be the issue, I think. I would suggest googling squat technique, depending what you do now maybe varying between conventional squats, or a sumo squat (different placement of the legs) could help yourself. Maybe you need a specialist to determine the problem, never the less just a suggestion.

[LWW]

Try doing a full squat with no weight or bar (just your BW) ATG focus on keeping your weight on the balls of your feet (a good way to do this is wiggle your toes while in the squat position). Sit in that ATG position for a second or two. Go slowly, see how you feel after and the next day.

If you start seeing relief you know then it is form and/or flexibility issue and you can start doing more of those BW squats then add the empty bar and go from there.

[weiss1967]

while LWW's advice kinda repeat what I was going to say, I would start shallow and see if I can go any deeper next day. LWW is right, squat depth is the ultimate fix.

Also, this 5x5 thing, very wrong. 20x5 at least.

But, like I said, if your squat were consistently shallow lately, you may get serious injury from trying full depth. Even been in a cast? Same thing.

[jasonp360]

I had knee issues that were ultimately solved by an MRI where they actually saw the problem and operated, scoping out the torn meniscus. Doc said I could start squatting or doing whatever I wanted right away after that.

Previous to the MRI we wasted a year trying to re-hab it with physio. X-ray, Ultrasound, showed nothing. The MRI finally showed the torn meniscus. They said I may need a new knee after 20-30 years due to not having a meniscus there anymore to protect bone on bone, but that was something I was willing to accept since the pain was impacting my quality of life in more areas, not just squatting. I couldn't run and play or go on long walks or anything. I was icing the knee every day. It sucked. Post operation within a week I was FREE and doing whatever I wanted including deep squats.

That was my experience 20 years ago and that knee is still rocking. Now my other one is starting to hurt lol.

Go get your knee checked!

P.S. one run wrecked my knee. I hadn't run in years, decided to do 5k without warmup up or proper shoes, and that was that, the pain started.

[Mark1T]

IMO, squats are not your only issue. I'm not a doctor and this is not advice, but a suggestion.

Years ago when I had severe pain in both knees, I experimented and I found that I needed to build the muscles around my knees to better support squats. So, I started to implement Goblet Squats. Look them up on YouTube. You can start with light weight. Work on form and go as low as possible for each rep. Do 4 sets of 10, 2X per week with your leg exercises. After a couple of months, my experience was that I built my quads better and where squats didn't. Goblet Squats also built muscles around my knees and in that time, the knee pain was gone.

Moral of the story is that you need to build a better foundation and if you keep on doing squats with no development around the knees, your problems will never go away.

[LWW]

IMO, squats are not your only issue. I'm not a doctor and this is not advice, but a suggestion.

Years ago when I had severe pain in both knees, I experimented and I found that I needed to build the muscles around my knees to better support squats. So, I started to implement Goblet Squats. Look them up on YouTube. You can start with light weight. Work on form and go as low as possible for each rep. Do 4 sets of 10, 2X per week with your leg exercises. After a couple of months, my experience was that I built my quads better and where squats didn't. Goblet Squats also built muscles around my knees and in that time, the knee pain was gone.

Moral of the story is that you need to build a better foundation and if you keep on doing squats with no development around the knees, your problems will never go away.

Goblet squats are great and another one to definitely use, but they are still squats bro.

Your logic in your posts suggests that building muscle in the legs via leg extension or some other machine is the answer.
No, you still did squats!

The only way to strengthen the knee is full ROM of the knees,this means to squat in some fashion, eg goblet front squat, back squat, overhead squat, no weight squat.

[Mark1T]

Goblet squats are great and another one to definitely use, but they are still squats bro.

Your logic in your posts suggests that building muscle in the legs via leg extension or some other machine is the answer.
No, you still did squats!

The only way to strengthen the knee is full ROM of the knees,this means to squat in some fashion, eg goblet front squat, back squat, overhead squat, no weight squat.

I said Goblet Squats. Leg extension always hurt my knees. I never said a cure. I did say that other exercises may help. But, always still do squats.

I had plenty of disclaimers. If anyone doesn't want to do what I suggested, I don't care. Just worked for me.

[LWW]

I had plenty of disclaimers. If anyone doesn't want to do what I suggested, I don't care. Just worked for me.

I prefer Goblet squats over back squats anyway just for the fact that holding the weight gives an upper body and ab workout too.

I generally just do back squats for some quick high rep intense muscle cardio conditioning.

[AlBHappy]

Go see a doctor and figure out what's wrong. Second, are you squatting in running shoes? If so, stop. Use flat soled sneakers like Chuck Taylor's.

Finally if it's the out side of the knee, roll your IT bands.

Keep banging away.

[carbkilla]

Just my experience but I was squatting good then added walking just 7 miles a week. Knees started hurting on squats. Sometimes adding just a little more work will hang you.