Left Knee trouble with Squats

[Cuban Moses]

Hey Guys,

I plan on squatting heavy again in July when I have access to weights again. My left knee has been a problem for me in the past. I have gone to see a doctor about it, and what he says is my Osgood Schlatter throws one of my ligament out of alignment and that is why I have pain. I pass all the tests to check if my tendons and ligaments are intact and I have full range of motion too. I

 

[RoscoDiaz]

I think it would be best to start very light and work up making sure both quads are taking even weight. Large amounts on injuries come from there being a strength difference between legs, as little as between 5 and 10%.

 

[Chaos Mitten**]

Osgood-Schlatter is a growing pain issue. It's possible that it won't bother you any more.

If your knees ache from the Osgood-Schlatter during or after you squat, it's possible that some neoprene knee sleeves could help by keeping the joint and tendons warm. Do not use any knee brace or support that has metal or plastic components.

Shifting your weight to one side is a form issue that you should correct before you start adding weight to the bar. That is what you should be worried about.

 

[Cuban Moses]

I'm in my mid twenties and it still bothers me. I will try the knee sleeve. I will start doing body squats for the next week to work on my form.

I've shifted my weight for years even was I was soing 350 for reps. What exercises could I do to supplement the strength in my left leg? Is doing bodyweight squats and really focusing on my form and shoting out of the hole with even weight on my legs the best approach?

 

[KazenoYojimbo]

I'm 27 and my O.S. from when I was growing between 15 and 17 still bugs me. The one thing that's visible to me with mine is that my kneecap follows a really outside arc when i bend my leg. Not sure if you're seeing that with your ligament that is misaligned.

 

[Prodigal Son]

I'm 28 and have Osgood-Schlatter and it never fully goes away. I still have the bump and it does cause problems with going deep - but only if I don't warm-up properly. I think the huge solution to me is doing eccentric rehab exercises to strengthen the pattellar tendon as it undergoes added stress to do the burst.

Icing it, essential fatty acids, anti-inflammatory also work well for me. Is the bump hard?

I do a modified 5 x 5 and only do lift heavy twice a week, with plyometrics, and a full sprinting day in between, my knee is fine (I only have O.S. on one knee) I can do anything a 16 with good knees can do after proper rest/warm-up. Also avoid running into things near the bump on the knee.

 

[Jumpingknees]

I personally think you should look at a potential strength differential between your right and left glute muscles. Your left glute is probably much weaker than the right, hence your tendency to shift to the right when coming into the concentric lift phase.

You should focus on lighter weight, single leg squats, and glute specific strengthening exercises.

Cheers

 

[Cuban Moses]

Prodigal Son... My bump is brick hard. I have a pretty significant case of osgood. The doc gave me anti-inflammatories. I too only have it in one knee. I remember when I did the 5 X 5 program before my left knee was killing me. I don't feel that it is so much of a glute problem as a quad problem. My left quad is considerably smaller than my right one. I'm sure my left glute is weaker than my right one, but the strength difference is greater in my quads is my point.

I deadlifted 400 pounds a couple of months ago without having lifted in months before that. I know we're talking about squatting, but just throwing that out there. It's not like i'm weak, but maybe I should not focus on strength at all, and just get my body balanced.

Suggested Excercies?
Stiff legged deadlifts
Lunges
Light weight deep squats
Single leg squats - should I work on peforming pistols?
Wide stance squats - light weight
Narrow stance squats - light weight

Note about suggesting exercises: I won't have access to anything but free weights when i build my gym. I'm down to get cheap alternatives like a band for rehab exercises, but keep that in mind.

With the different stances I noticed a big difference with my power when it came to pitching in baseball. Just my two cents on that.

 

[Prodigal Son]

Only thing I can suggest is reduce exercises that aggravate your OS or make it more painful for you right now. Have you thought about doing deep box squats and truly sitting back? This takes a lot of the pressure off the OS for me.

I would avoid lunges for now. I have had had success with 1/4 varied one-legged squats and long-term these seemed to greatly reduce my OS. Pistol squats will come much later. I wouldn't worry so much about wide or narrow stance, though I believe a narrow stance squat is going to put more pressure on your knee.

I could only state what works for me - resting helps, but to a certain extent. It isn't like most cases of patellar tendinitis where you can just rest it and ice it for 6-8 weeks and it goes away. It'll always be there, what works for me is constantly managing it and minimizing the pain so that it does not really have any effect on my workouts. Good luck.