Saturday, May 1, 2010

What squat to start with?

This is one of our softball players who tripped trying to run out a ground ball. She smashed her knee into the dirt and wound up with a contusion to the anterolateral patella and lateral retinaculum (see the abrasion?). Some pre patella bursa injury too.

Day 3 post injury, I wanted to get her going on some partial range squats. My goal is to get a good muscle pump going to reduce edema and prevent quad atrophy. A traditional squat subconsciously caused her pelvis to translate to the uninvolved limb, as well as the foot of the involved leg to overpronate. Her body attempting to unload the patella & lateral retinaculum.

I successfully switched her over to R stagger squat; you can see everything line up better. What other squat variations could I have chosen?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe -

Though provoking post. I probably look like an idiot trying some different squat versions at home but here are a couple thoughts (feel free to critique them):
Using a valslide or a slide board into a forward lunge would be one option that would increase range with less load; Front foot raised split squat would increase motion(maybe too much at this point)but decrease load (depends on the limiting factor); a reverse lunge may be another option.

Thanks again,
Bill

Joe Przytula said...

...if you're talking about a reverse lunge with the opposite leg I'm in!

Kevin Moody said...

Joe,

Very similar to your staggered squat would be a skater's squat.

Another option would be Steve Myrland's split squat with R leg forward, left leg back, ankle flexed, knee extended and torso in line with the back leg, lunging to tolerance.

Kevin

Anonymous said...

How about a rear foot elevated split squat, or 'Bulgarian" split squat? Good stretch + quad isolation and depth control.