Biceps femoris 'snapping' during deep squats

[tom4646]

When I squat just beyond parallel I can hear and feel a snapping sensation on the outside of my knee just above the fibula. It is painless, but loud (audible to others over gym music) and uncomfortable*. I can visually see the 'jumping' or 'snapping' of a tendon, and I can feel the sudden force passing up my leg with my hand when I place my hand on my biceps femoris. It also intuitively feels like my biceps femoris. I've been doing deep low-bar squats for eight weeks. For weeks I was only squatting 30kgs/66lbs for maybe 10 reps because I've been trying to get the form right and its still uncomfortable*. If I do a bodyweight squat (as shown in the videos on YouTube) but with my feet rotated close to 90 degrees outwards, this snapping doesn't occur. If I don't go as deep I still feel a lot of tension in that part of my hamstrings and it feels uncomfortable and precarious (like the snapping will occur at any moment under great tension.) By 'deep' I mean below parallel.

I won't be able to get my hands on a barbell for about 3 weeks due to exams as I have to travel a while to get to a real gym, but does anyone know how I can overcome this problem, or at least how I should go about attempting to doing so?

Additional info (if it is of any use):
I'm 6'1" but have long femurs and a short torso relative to my height
I'm 155 lbs and have been squatting low-bar and as programmed by SS for a week now (3 training sessions.)
Today I managed to squat 55 kg (121 lbs) which is in-line with the 5 kg (~10 lbs) increases that I 'ought' to be making each session, so my main concern is not that my squat isn't getting stronger, or that I am experiencing progress-stopping pain.

*I know a squat shouldn't be comfortable; I mean unlike the way that my deadlift or bench press is 'comfortable' (i.e. it feels like it's working properly.)

[Ben Patterson]

Post a video of your squat in the Technique section so form errors can be either identified or ruled out.

If your deadlift is "comfortable" its too light or wrong.

On a side note, if you haven't read "To Be a Beast" by Jordan Feigenbaum yet, make sure you do and implement the advice there in. It will make your road to strong a bit smoother.

[tom4646]

So my deadlift is too light or wrong because it feels like it's working properly? It is as heavy as I can go whilst maintaining a neutral spine or without my legs shaking. Well, I am a beginner on that exercise too, so I am sure there will be some problems with my form as I haven't been coached.

I'll be sure to get a video done when I next have the chance to lift.

[cgeorg]

I wouldn't worry about deadlift weight just yet - stuff will be lighter as you start to work out form issues and help keep progress moving as you build your base strength levels. At 6'1 and 155lbs you're likely to stall really early unless you pack on some weight.

Re: the knee thing, first step is a video - read the stickies in the Starting Strength Coaches and/or Technique forums to see what we need out of the video.

[tom4646]

Since I can't get my hands on a barbell for a while, therefore no video anytime soon, I was hoping in the meanwhile someone could explain the anatomy to me. I don't understand what could be snapping across the side of the head of the fibula. It definitely feels like the biceps femoris, but the insertion is on the head of the fibula itself. How could any such snapping occur?

[John Hanley]

Since I can't get my hands on a barbell for a while, therefore no video anytime soon, I was hoping in the meanwhile someone could explain the anatomy to me. I don't understand what could be snapping across the side of the head of the fibula. It definitely feels like the biceps femoris, but the insertion is on the head of the fibula itself. How could any such snapping occur?

You sure this isn't your IT band that's snapping?

This is quite commmon.

[tom4646]

You sure this isn't your IT band that's snapping?

This is quite commmon.

Of course I can't say for certain, but I am sure it is not my IT band. Firstly, I have no pain whatsoever in or around my knee. But, more importantly, I can feel my IT band with my fingers when I squat. The IT band does not jump, it just gets flatter against my leg (i.e. it is harder to feel it by touch). The part that jumps is posterior to the IT band, and can easily be seen just like the tendons of the semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inside of the knee when the knee is in flexion. If I follow the tendon that 'snaps' up my leg it definitely is part of the posterior thigh musculature.

[John Hanley]

Of course I can't say for certain, but I am sure it is not my IT band. Firstly, I have no pain whatsoever in or around my knee. But, more importantly, I can feel my IT band with my fingers when I squat. The IT band does not jump, it just gets flatter against my leg (i.e. it is harder to feel it by touch). The part that jumps is posterior to the IT band, and can easily be seen just like the tendons of the semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inside of the knee when the knee is in flexion. If I follow the tendon that 'snaps' up my leg it definitely is part of the posterior thigh musculature.

Weird. Never enoucntered this. Hope it resolves.

[hollismb]

I'm not going to post any studies that I haven't bothered to really read, but snapping biceps femoris and snapping popliteal tendons get plenty of results when typed into the Google machine.

biceps femoris tendon snapping - Google Search

If it makes you feel any better, I vaguely recall that mine would snap back in the day when I did hamstring curls. It eventually resolved itself, probably as a result of learning to squat correctly (which also fixed things for me like IT band snapping at the hip) and not doing hamstring curls any longer

[tom4646]

I'm not going to post any studies that I haven't bothered to really read, but snapping biceps femoris and snapping popliteal tendons get plenty of results when typed into the Google machine.

biceps femoris tendon snapping - Google Search

If it makes you feel any better, I vaguely recall that mine would snap back in the day when I did hamstring curls. It eventually resolved itself, probably as a result of learning to squat correctly (which also fixed things for me like IT band snapping at the hip) and not doing hamstring curls any longer

Seems like case studies involve lateral knee pain. Thankfully, I don't experience any. However, since trauma cannot be the cause of my problem, it would also appear to be a genetic problem which requires surgical correction. I guess I'll just have to give up squatting then - I'd rather not develop knee pain or undergo surgery. Though I imagine one can't simply give up squatting, due to its fundamental importance in strength training.

I wonder if anyone else has come across this before. I assume some strength coaches must have.