Thursday, February 6, 2014

I've squatted and I can't get up: The effects of deep squats on volleyball athletes


 “I squatted, and I couldn’t get up.”1 Female athletes tend to complain of pain with deep squats. They squat down as far as possible until the hamstrings make contact with the calves and cannot get back up. This is because deep squatting puts strain on the collateral (MCL & LCL) and cruciate (ACL & PCL) ligaments.1 A deep squat is when the knees are flexed between 130-150 degrees, affecting anteroposterior and mediolateral knee instability.1

Practical applications would suggest that the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) is stressed during deep squatting due to the "jacking apart".2 This is a movement of the center of rotation from the knee joint to the point of contact between the hamstrings and calves.1 The LCL (lateral collateral ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) are subject to injury and stretching during deep squatting.1 According to Klein, the external rotation of the femur during deep squats also makes the medial menisci subject to injury, due to the compression of the meniscus between the tibial and femoral condyles.1 Some tests showed that increasing the flexion of the knee increases the chance of knee ligament ruptures.3 If deep squats are causing such injuries to a number of female athletes or athletes in general, why is it a continued practice in weight rooms?  





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