Why Does My Hip Pinch In A Squat?

Having that pinching in your hip when you lower into a squat?

This is not an uncommon occurrence, even if you are not an avid weightlifter. 

The reason why you are having this pain is based on a typical strategy that I have seen time and time again. 

Want to know what it is.......

Of course you do. 

Lets start by looking at what happens in a squat under normal conditions. 

The knees should translate forward (yes it is ok they go over the toes) while maintaining heel contact on the ground. This ensures that the hips stay directly under the torso in a straight line. 

If the butt shoots back, we cause stress on the low back and get the hips away from the torso. This will change how the positions of the hip joint and steal full range of motion. 

A perfectly executed squat will have the butt sitting behind the heels, torso straight up and down with the ribs and pelvis stacked in line with each other 

If you start with what's called an anterior pelvic tilt, where the hips are rotated forward in standing, you will already be primed to pinch the hip in a squat. 

In this position the pelvis closes the front of the hip, thus creating a bony block and pinching sensation as you lower. With the inability to fully lower, you will compensate in the lower back to round and try and gain more depth. 

Below is a video demonstrating the differences in squats from an anterior pelvic tilt and neutral pelvic position, along with solutions to improve squat pinching if you fall into the anterior pelvic tilt. ​

One key thing to note that was not in the video. 

I mentioned shooting the knees forward. This is meant to keep the hips stacked under your ribcage. You SHOULD NOT be pressing through your toes or have your heels come up. 

You still want to maintain heel/midfoot drive throughout the entire squat as the knees travel forward. 

Now you have some fixes you can utilize in your squats. 

Granted not everyone has the same problem or requires the same fix for their squat. 

That is where we come in and can pinpoint your exact problem to get you back in the gym sooner, without losing strength. 

If that sounds like something you want us to help you with, sign up for a Free Discovery Visit below where we can figure out what's going wrong with your hips in the squat and give a REAL solution to your problem. 

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