How bad does it hurt?
Member
Tibial Tuberosity Pain
Hey Mark,
I have soreness in my left tibial tuberosity after completing 3x5 HBBS @ 150kg. It starts basically above 15-30 degrees above parallel, and occurs weighted and unweighted.
I am not exactly sure when the injury occurred, because after squatting, I did presses and deadlifts, both of which don't involve the knee flexing too much. I only really noticed it as I was cycling back home. I kept on my heels for all the reps except the last two reps of the second set, because there were two explosions in the next room which turned out to be old faulty lightbulbs. It threw me off completely and my weight ended up shifting onto my toes for those reps. I recovered for the third set, and performed it without any pain or soreness.
When I got back home I noticed marked soreness starting 15 degrees above parallel as I squatted down to sit on my sofa and starting immediately as I attempted to squat up. I slept 10 hours and it didn't get much better the next day.
Now, I read previous posts where you suggested stopping power cleans, and changing squat form. But I don't think you answered whether one should continue to squat low-bar while having this pain in the tibial tuberosity. Should I make the switch to LBBS and squat through the pain, increase deadlift volume or do something else?
TMPHBITEU
How bad does it hurt?
Member
It hurts a bearable amount. Normal walking and stair climbing, I feel nothing. Bike riding, I can "feel" my tibial tuberosity, but there is no pain, only a slight dull soreness. Squatting below parallel, my tibial tuberosity gets rather sore but the pain is completely localised, however the pain is not severe enough that I wouldn't be able to complete 3 sets of 5 @ 160kg LBBS.Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
I am scared that if I continue to squat, I put myself at risk of an avulsion fracture. I've read SS, and know that there is no net force on the ligaments, as the anterior force on the tibia is balanced by the posterior force due to the tension in the hamstrings. I assume this wouldn't be the case with the tibial tuberosity, as the patellar tendon is acting to directly pull on the tibial tuberosity.
TMPHBITEU
You want to not hurt at all? How scared are you? Are you just a little frightened, or are you really SCARED?
Member
No, I'm not scared of pain. I train with Chinese weightlifters for a portion of my year and they pretty much have stamped all the pussy out of me. Look, the thing is, I know pretty much nothing about tibial tuberosity (TT) pain and I just wanted to know if it is safe to keep on squatting or if I should just do hamstring dominant work (deadlift and its variations, GMs, GHR) for the next couple of weeks to let my TT heal up.
P.S. I'm 20.25 years old and I have grown one inch since I turned 18, so I'm relatively young.
TMPHBITEU
1. If you have read these boards AT ALL, you know that a layoff does not correct tendon pain.
2. If you have read these boards AT ALL, you know that if you're squatting with a knees-forward position at the bottom, it will hurt your knees.
Member
Are you sure that what I have is classifiable a tendinopathy? Because my tendon feels absolutely fine, it is only the tubercle where the patellar tendon inserts onto that hurts, and the soreness is extremely localised.
I also doubt that my hamstrings are too weak, or that I have some sort of muscular imbalance that is causing excessive anterior force on the tibia. I have a 1:1 ratio between my squat and the SLDL (using the technique as outlined in the book).
TMPHBITEU
Fuck, man, I'm not sure of anything. This is THE INTERNET, and you're asking me about your fucking knee.
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