Fixing the Kinetic Chain - Ankle and Knee Pain in the Squat

[Witchlifting]

First, let me preemptively thank everyone on the forum. The information that you provide, along with the community that has been created and maintained are priceless. I have been doing the lifts for about a year now, following the SS novice program consistently with little distraction. Of course, I have had wonderful results as a 26 year, former athlete. My gains have been consistent and continue to progress.

My question regards an issue I have encountered repeatedly throughout my training. I constantly get pain in my left knee (and only my left knee.) I am a rightly, so some unilateral dominance is expect, however, this issue seems to exceed this normality. I have noticed a few things in regards to my left leg and knee in distinction from my right, they are as follows:

In a seated position, with my legs extended flat in front of me, my left foot naturally hangs lower than my right, so that it is closer to touching the floor; if I perform circles with my left ankle, there are significant cracks and pops, the right ankle is completely silent and smooth; while standing, the big toe on my left foot is farther away from my long toe (in comparison to my right); my left knee will constantly lock and unlock, against my will, while walking, almost as if it slides out of position at random; finally, and most crucial, I do not get nearly as much activation out of my leg drive on the left side, it feels as if all of my power is somehow lost somewhere in the kinetic chain

I have done a lot of research into this. I have addressed the possibility of tight adductors, hips, quads, and hams. I have come to think maybe it has something to do with the calf muscles? My mobility is very good, I can do high-bar squats ATG and I can almost do a full split. If anyone has any helpful insight into this issue, it would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully, it might be able to help someone else going through the same problem. Thanks in advance, and my apologies for the long, detailed post.

[Tom Campitelli]

Saying your knee hurts is very vague. Where does it hurt? You say constantly, but are there movements that bother it more? Does it hurt more after you workout? The knee locking and unlocking is the most interesting part. Have you suffered any injury to it in the past? torn ACL, meniscus tear, etc? Does the knee swell? Even with all of this, I am just some asshole on the Internet and cannot give you a diagnosis. What I can tell you is that you cannot stretch your way out of lots of problems. Not everything can be explained through mobility deficiencies.

[Witchlifting]

Saying your knee hurts is very vague. Where does it hurt? You say constantly, but are there movements that bother it more? Does it hurt more after you workout? The knee locking and unlocking is the most interesting part. Have you suffered any injury to it in the past? torn ACL, meniscus tear, etc? Does the knee swell? Even with all of this, I am just some asshole on the Internet and cannot give you a diagnosis. What I can tell you is that you cannot stretch your way out of lots of problems. Not everything can be explained through mobility deficiencies.

Tom, thank you for the response. You might just be some asshole, but you're a much appreciated asshole. To answer your questions:

The pain I get is localized to my VMO area. It is must perceptible at just about 90 degrees, more or less degrees minimizes it. It hurts most almost at random, but I seem to think it causes gets worse when it's cold, stiff, or when dealing with a lot of shear. Obviously, high-bar agitates it much more than low-bar, thus I low-bar the majority of the time. I have not suffered any relevant injuries, no tears, only some popping. It seems to me that the majority of the dysfunction stems from some ankle weakness or looseness (is this a well known issue?). It feels as if my tibia is shifting laterally as I manipulate my ankle.

I have seen an orthopedist about the issue. He took MRI's of the knee and told me that I have "healthy cartilage, but a small portion of it is diseased..heterogeneous material." As if that means anything at all. Appropriately, he told me to simply stop squatting, because "some people just aren't meant to lift heavy weights." His words, of course. Thanks again for the feedback, Tom. I am happy to provide more detailed information upon request.

[Tom Campitelli]

Lettuce see a video of your squat.