Load Your Legs Evenly While Back Squatting to Make the Front of Your Hip Pain Free
Your hip pain should not stop you from doing activities you enjoy!
The video above addresses one specific potential cause for hip pain while back squatting: asymmetric loading.
Why Do I Have Pain in the Front of My Hip While Back Squatting?
Shifting your weight to one side during back squats creates an overload on one leg. You could definitely end up with pain on the overloaded leg – knee pain is especially common in this scenario.
But we are talking about pain in the front of the unloaded leg in this example.
It may seem paradoxical, but the front of the hip on the unloaded leg can get overworked. Huh???
Here’s how:
The unloaded leg can no longer recruit its glutes effectively because you have shifted away which shortens the glutes.
And, if you are doing a good job keeping your knees pushed apart, you have also lengthened the tissue in the front of the hip. Usually that tissue is shortening during back squats.
By cheating out your glutes and overworking the anterior (front) hip capsule, you are setting yourself up for pain in the front of the hip. This asymmetry is actually a common cause of labrum tears.
What Can I Do To Fix My Back Squat Symmetry and Eliminate Pain in the Front of My Hip?
Film yourself when performing back squats. You should do this at least once a week to make sure your form is symmetric.
Your butt should drop directly between your heels and your pelvis, shoulders, and barbell should all be parallel to the floor.
There’s a lot more to squat form than frontal plane symmetry, but it’s a good place to start.
If you have trouble analyzing your squat form, you’ll need to schedule a virtual visit with one of our expert physical therapists to make sure your form is symmetric.
Remember, This Is Only The Start For Most Injury Recoveries…
The body is complicated and this is one small, but important piece to your injury recovery.
Get Individualized Injury Recovery Help!
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