How To Squat Without Knee Pain

Key Takeaways

• Knee pain when squatting is commonly linked to hip position, stiff ankles, letting your weight shift forward or load that rises too quickly.
• Raising the heels can help stiff ankles, but loads may need to be lighter at first and progressed gradually.
• A pain-free squat starts with the feet flat in the foot tripod position and the hips moving back as if sitting into a chair.
• Pain usually appears when tissues are not yet strong enough for the load, so building strength and movement quality over time is the long-term fix.

A nagging ache around the kneecap every time you squat can make a simple exercise feel like a risk. Squats are one of the most popular and effective exercises you can do, and arguably one of the quickest ways to check your overall mobility and movement capacity.

They are also a common trigger for knee pain when squatting, during or after a workout. This pain can present itself as discomfort around the kneecap at the tendon attachment points, or in a series of other ways.

Where the pain sits can offer useful clues, but in many cases the most helpful first step is to look at how you squat and how quickly the load has increased.

When the pain keeps coming back despite changes to your technique, physiotherapy for knee pain can help work out which structure is irritated and why.

The video below gives a quick summary of the key points to look for when squatting and how to check that your squat is working for your knees.

 

Common Causes of Knee Pain While Squatting

Squatting is not bad for your knees, and in fact, avoiding it altogether may leave them less able to handle everyday loads.

However, people who are not taking the time to squat correctly and those with an existing injury or condition, such as knee osteoarthritis, are more likely to experience knee pain. If you’re unsure what may be causing your knee pain, it can be helpful to pay attention to particular cues next time you’re working out:

Poor Hip Positioning

One of the most common causes of knee pain is poor hip control. The hips must support and keep the knees in place to prevent them from bending inward and overloading the tissues around the kneecap. A good squat should effectively have the hips travelling back.

With this said, good squat form is somewhat unique to the individual, their anatomy and their current level of load tolerance. It can always be a good rule of thumb to chase a mechanically sound position, but a lack of position should not deter you from continuing to train.

When knee pain is a concern, ensuring the hips do most of the movement and keeping a more vertical shin can minimise excess stress on the knee.

Stiff Ankles

During a squat, the ankles need sufficient mobility to ensure proper weight distribution. Stiff ankles force the body to compensate, which interferes with proper alignment and puts pressure on the knees. A great way to alleviate the issue that stiff ankles pose (which can also help hip position) is to raise the heels when squatting.

This helps to put our joints in a more biomechanically favourable position, so we can transmit force through our lower limbs more effectively. This does, however, put slightly more stress on the knees, so loads should be lightened to ensure the movement is comfortable and gradually progressed over time, to allow the knee joint to adapt to these loads (giving your knee time to adapt is what tends to reduce pain over the long term).

A great ankle mobility drill, such as the knee-to-wall drill, can gradually improve your range over time. Doing this drill or similar mobilisation work before each squat session can gradually build deeper range at your ankle and keep improving your mobility as you train. This can make a noticeable difference to your pain.

 

Forward Weight Shift

Letting your weight shift forward onto the balls of your feet during a squat can transfer more load onto the knees and the patellar tendon, while leaning the trunk too far forward adds load to the lower back.

While this isn’t always a problem for people without pain, it can aggravate existing pain and load the tissues at their weaker points.

By raising the heels and positioning the hips properly from the beginning, we can help to ensure that we are able to stay on balance and not shift our weight forward. The ability to control a squat position requires good overall mobility and body control.

Rapid Load Increases

Adding weight, depth or extra sessions faster than your knees can adapt is a common reason squats start to hurt. Tendons and the joint surfaces around the kneecap usually adapt to load more slowly than muscle, so a program that feels easy for your legs may still be too much for your knees. Changing one variable at a time, and holding it steady for a week or two, gives these tissues time to catch up.

How to prevent knee pain while squatting

Before you begin squatting, take the time to warm up your muscles. Light movement and dynamic stretching can help mobilise the joints and increase blood flow, better preparing the body for a squat. Be sure to focus on stretches that target the ankle to extend your range of motion.

Another simple preventative measure is mobilising the calves and shins right before you start squatting (either with a roller or a percussive device). This can help prepare the tissues before you start loading them.

Once this is taken care of, you can pay attention to the cues for hip and ankle position and focus on your technical execution, your mobility and the strength of the muscles that support the knee to be able to squat optimally.

What a pain-free squat should look like

A pain-free squat usually comes down to a few form checkpoints:

Foot Position

The feet should always remain flat on the floor in the foot tripod position. Hip width will vary based on comfort.

Hip Movement

A good rule of thumb to initiate the squat is to engage the hips by picturing that you are sitting back in a chair. This technique will help stabilise you, allowing you to deepen your squat and keep your centre of gravity balanced over your feet.

Balance and Form Checks

For greater balance and stability without external resistance, hold the arms out in front of you and only go as low as you feel comfortable. When you’re doing this, it can be good to check form via delayed feedback, such as filming your set, to be sure that:

• The spine is in a neutral position.
• The thighs reach a depth that feels comfortable, working towards parallel with the floor over time.
• The hips, knees and toes are all pointing roughly straight ahead (some people may find a slight turn-out more comfortable).

For extra support, you can also try squatting against a wall, experimenting with a wider squat stance or pointing your toes out more.

 

Squatting Again Without Bracing for Knee Pain

Knee pain when squatting usually means your tissues are not yet strong enough for the load you are placing on them, or your body feels threatened by the way you are moving. Both of these can change.

Strength builds with well-dosed training, and the sense of threat usually eases as you improve the fundamental qualities of the movement hierarchy, particularly mobility and stability.

Our science-backed knee exercises are a good place to start for treating your knee pain, and if you have been avoiding squats altogether, our guide to squatting with sore knees looks at how to ease back in.

If knee pain is still getting in the way of your squats, the team at MTP Health can assess what is driving it and talk you through the options that suit your circumstances, or your GP can help you decide on the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Should I stop squatting if my knees hurt?

Not necessarily. Many people keep squatting by reducing the load, limiting depth to a comfortable range or squatting to a box while the knee settles.

Stop and have it checked if the pain is sharp, the knee swells or the pain gets worse from one session to the next.

2. Is it normal to have a knee ache after squats?

Muscle soreness in the thighs and buttocks for a day or two after training is common. Sharp pain around the kneecap, swelling, locking or pain that lingers beyond two or three days is different and is worth having assessed.

3. Why do my knees click when I squat?

Painless clicking is common and usually harmless. Clicking that comes with pain, swelling or a catching sensation is worth having checked.

This article is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, circumstances or health needs. Speak with your GP or a qualified health professional before acting on it or changing your training or treatment.