Fibular head pain from front squats

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

Hey Rip,

I'm an Olympic lifter and seemed to have done something to my LCL/fibular head during a work set of front squats. I felt a "squish" on the lateral side of my right knee accompanied with some sharp pain. From then on I had sort of a dull pain with a tight feeling/burning sensation, with pain only when my knee was fully flexed. I told my coach about it and since I train in a C****fit place, his answer was to foam roll it.

After about a week of that with no improvement, he recommended an ART guy and I've had about 6 sessions with him so far. About a week or so ago the pain had stopped so I tried squatting the empty bar for 2 sets of 5 and heard a lot of popping/cracking around the fibular head area and the pain flared up again. I told the ART guy about it and got the usual - don't squat below parallel, your knees aren't meant to carry that load, even at 90 degrees your hamstrings/quads/flutes are still "firing", and he put a cold laser on it to reduce any inflammation.

Any advice on how to deal with this injury? Should I try to rehab it with squatting? Train through it/around it? Smile and nod at the ART guy and just have him work on my fibula head? I appreciate the time. Thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Front squats are famous for stretching the shit out of the fibular head ligaments. The mechanism of this injury is pretty obvious -- if you bounce out of the bottom of the front squat with loose glutes and adductors, the knee slams closed and the compression on the posterior side of the joint mashes the proximal fibula anterior, thus inflaming the ligament. Takes about 4 weeks to settle down once your front squat form is corrected. All the ART guy is doing is keeping it aggravated. All the foam rolling is doing is keeping it aggravated while making you feel like you're Doing Something.

One thing you might try: cut a knee wrap in half and wrap below the patella, around the tibial tuberosity and the fibular head. Might help stabilize it while you're healing up.

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

Should I use the Starr Rehab Protocol or does that not apply to ligament stuff? Train through it normally?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Starr rehab is for muscle bellies. Train as normally as possible.

[Will Morris]

Should I use the Starr Rehab Protocol or does that not apply to ligament stuff? Train through it normally?

I've had some good success recommending SBD knee sleeves to people with chronic LCL problems who wish to squat.