Quad Tightness and Knee Pain

If you have pain in the knee with squatting or running, check out your quadriceps. There are several reasons for knee pain but an easy one to address is quad tightness. If the quad is restricted, it can cause the patella (knee cap) to compress into the femur. This is problematic because the underside of the patella is lined with cartilage and over time you can erode the cartilage, leading to arthritis. 

First, determine exactly where the pain is. If it’s in the joint line just below the patella, it could be meniscus and should be checked out. If it’s further up, like the area where the quad meets the patella, it could be muscular. One quick test is to lay on your back, grab your ankle with your hands, and bend your knee to your chest. You should be able to bend the knee enough for your calf to touch your hamstring. Or, when laying on your stomach, you should be able to get your foot to your butt (using a strap) without discomfort. If you can’t get there, or it causes pain, or your butt lifts up, these are all signs of quad tightness. 

This would be an example of quad tightness because this hips lift off of the table. The reason this happens is that part of the quad attaches to the front of the pelvis. The pelvis tilts anteriorly as a way to give slack to the muscle. This also demonstrates the relationship of quad tightness and back pain. If the lumbar spine is sensitive to extension and the quad is tight, the person will experience back pain with deep knee bending. 

Here is something you can try to increase mobility:

When I find a stiff quad, I almost always find some stiff heel cords and limited ankle range of motion. This pattern can significantly restrict your ability to squat or run. If you want to improve ankle mobility, check out this program we’ve put together.

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