Can you break your leg during a squat?

[thras]

I came across the story of an athletic 36-year-old snapping his femur during a squat at the gym. Is this possible? (Yes, vegan.)

A bit of Googling turns up the story and video of Yaroslav Radashkevich snapping his (tibula/fibula?) during a squat in 2019. That appears to be at a meet though, lifting 250kg, and judging by this story I think that he may have fractured it a couple of weeks before.

Radashkevich had been suffering with a leg injury for weeks before the event, telling Russian news site Amur: "It turns out that two weeks ago my leg began to hurt badly. I thought that it was just pulled, so I did not pay attention, I just had painkillers, trained, prepared. I was also advised it would pass by itself, heal.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have never heard of a femoral fracture during a squat. It does not happen under our training, for obvious reasons. Might be entertaining to hear the circumstances of this one. Bone cancer?

[CommanderFun]

A bit of Googling turns up the story and video of Yaroslav Radashkevich snapping his (tibula/fibula?) during a squat in 2019. That appears to be at a meet though, lifting 250kg, and judging by this story I think that he may have fractured it a couple of weeks before.

You kinda answered your own question there, didn't you? He was squatting on an already broken bone.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Two different guys, two different fractures. Read it again.

[Johnsonville]

I believe Marty Gallagher said he broke his femur squatting, although from a freak accident

[David A. Rowe]

I believe Marty Gallagher said he broke his femur squatting, although from a freak accident

Weird accidents happen, though. I pretty badly pulled an intercostal at the short rib just setting up for a deadlift. Fully warmed up, setting up the same way as always, and never happened before or since.

Best to discard those anomalous events.

[JFord]

I have never heard of a femoral fracture during a squat. It does not happen under our training, for obvious reasons. Might be entertaining to hear the circumstances of this one. Bone cancer?

This is the correct question.

A femur shouldn’t snap without trauma. Practically by definition, this would be classified as a “pathological fracture” (unless an x-ray showed otherwise). Think neoplasm, osteoporosis, metabolic derangement, meds (eg. corticosteroids), or congenital stuff that would have been Dx’d before adulthood.

Even the elderly shouldn’t fracture without trauma in the absence of bone demineralization as in a senior who lifts regularly. We’re DESIGNED to fight gravity.