Try to determine source or pain when squatting

[3pack]

Hello Mark,

I was recently doing the Bill Star 5x5 and I think in my haste to always increase my squat for that one final set of 5 I had breakdowns in my form. At least I hope this is what the cause was.

I started having pain in the area above my knee cap and lower thigh. I thought it was the muscle. I then thought it might have been the quadricep tendon because it looks like according to this site this is where the pain was at. http://www.arthroscopy.com/quadrep.htm

So basically I have taken a week off and it has felt better, but I can still feel pain when I get up from a squatting position. That's only time I feel it is when I get up.

What I think happened is that I had a rep and there where I would lift up my heels trying to get the weight up. I worked on keeping my heels down, but I would lose the occasional rep.

Something to add from just today. I can feel the pain even more so when I come up from a squat from my tip toes and if I sit there and hold it I think I can feel the pain more in between the kneecap and the tear drop muscle on my thigh. And then I remembered something you wrote in your book, about try to lift my toes and I think it's actually better. I wish I would have remembered that tid bit a month or two ago.

I hope I made myself clear. I can ramble trying to find the words to describe my issue.

So is it my quad tendon or something else? And for rehab, should I do what you state here http://strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=309 or should I do higher rep work until it gets better?

Thanks again.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you were raising your heels in a squat, you were definitely out of your hips and into your knees, and you injured your quad/patellar tendon area. The particulars of the injury are not critical; learning how to stay out of your knees so it can heal while you squat is, and this process will also improve your ability to squat correctly after the knee is healed. Review all the hip cues in the book, and make sure you reach back with your hips, shove your knees OUT, not forward, at the bottom, and let your back angle get more horizontal earlier in the descent.

[3pack]

Thanks for the reply. I'm reviewing as we speak.

Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly. I should be okay to continue squatting as long as I stay off my knees while it heals? Of course, this probably assumes a lighter weight as well.

[3pack]

I think I see what you mean. On page 12 figure 2-5 you say in the "correct squat those ligaments have very little to do". So as long as I stay true to that I can continue to squat while it heals.

I was just practicing and I noticed no pain. That's very encouraging. :)