Does Your Knee Buckle in When You Squat? Might Be An Ankle Mobility Issue?
Intro:
Do you get pain on the inside of your knee after a workout? Does your knee buckle in when you squat? Or perhaps you feel like when you stretch your calf up the front of your ankle jams up?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then this is the article for you. The knee is very rarely the problem, i usually refer to it as the middle child. It is usually an issue with the hip ( if it you get tight hips click here ) or the ankle. If you have ever sprained your ankle in the past (pretty much everyone) you may have changed the way you walk and distribute pressure without even realising it. We have previously discussed movement patterns and how when we are injured the body finds the path of least resistance to reform a new movement pattern.
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Checking Ankle Mobility:
The wall stretch is a great way to test out if you have the proper range of motion in your ankle as well as identify any asymmetries:
If when you can’t touch the wall with your knee (without cheating) with your big toe 10cm or more away from the wall, we need to work on your ankle mobility.
Another telltale sign of a previous ankle injury is if when you squat your foot rolls in and causes your knee to collapse. When this happens it can result in medial ankle pain, medial knee pain, lateral hip pain and even lower back pain.
The Fix: Knee Buckle In When You Squat?:
A simple exercise I like to use to ensure your ankle is functioning properly is the
Half kneeling ankle dorsiflexion with dowel:
- Kneel on the ground with one leg forward, and the foot flat on the ground.
- Place the dowel on the outside of the front foot.
- Keeping your front foot flat on the ground, gently push your front knee forward toward the outside of the dowel, maintaining an upright posture.
*Things to watch out for
- Make sure you are maintaining an upright posture, keeping the front foot flat on the ground
- Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
- If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
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