Why Do My Knees Hurt When I Squat?

Knee pain during squats is something I hear about often. The squat is one of the best movements for strength and mobility, but if your knees hurt when squatting, it usually means something in your setup, mobility, or strength balance needs attention. The good news is that in most cases, a few small changes can make squats feel much better.

Common reasons your knees might hurt when squatting

Technique issues
When your weight shifts forward onto your toes or your knees collapse in too much, the stress goes straight to the knees instead of being shared by the hips and trunk.

Too much too soon
Adding more weight or reps than your body is ready for is one of the most common reasons people feel knee pain during squats.

Mobility limits
Stiff ankles or hips force your knees to take over. If your heel lifts off the ground or you feel “stuck” before hitting depth, mobility could be part of the problem.

Muscle imbalances
If your quads do most of the work while your hips and core stay quiet, your knees take on extra load.

Tissue irritation
Irritation around the kneecap or tendon pain often flares with squats but usually improves when you adjust how you move and load the joint.

Quick things to check

• Feet: Can you keep your tripod — heel, big toe, and little toe — pressed evenly into the ground?

• Knees: A small inward drift is normal as the ankle bends and foot flattens slightly, but big collapses or wobbling are not.

• Ankles: Do your knees move forward over your toes without your heels popping up? If not, ankle stiffness could be limiting you.

• Depth: Does pain only show up at the bottom? If so, stay just above that range and build back gradually.

Squat cues that usually help

Keep steady pressure through your tripod foot. Let the knees move forward but keep them in line with your toes. Sit between your feet rather than rocking back onto your heels. Slow down on the way down so you can stay in good positions.

Warm-up before squats

A short warm-up can reduce knee pain when squatting by improving mobility and control. Try this sequence:

1. Ankle mobility drill
Half-kneeling, drive your front knee forward over your toes while keeping your heel down. This helps create room at the ankle so your heels can stay planted.

2. Glute bridge
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Press evenly through your feet and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line. This builds hip strength so your knees don’t take all the load.

3. Bodyweight squats
Finish with a few slow, controlled squats focusing on tripod foot pressure — heel, big toe, and little toe all pressing evenly into the ground.

Exercises that support pain-free squats

• Goblet squats to reinforce clean positions

• Split squats or rear-foot elevated split squats to train knee and hip balance

• Step-downs from a low box to build stability

• Romanian deadlifts to strengthen the backside

• Single-leg balance drills like hip airplanes for control

The goal isn’t to avoid squats but to strengthen the areas that support them so squatting feels better.

When to get it checked out

Book an assessment if your pain is sharp, swelling doesn’t go down, your knee feels unstable, or pain wakes you at night.

The takeaway

Most knee pain from squats improves with small adjustments. Keeping even pressure through your tripod foot, controlling your knee position, and gradually building strength makes a big difference. Squats can and should feel good again.

Ready to fix your knee pain and squat with confidence?

At CoreQuest Therapy in Montreal, I help people move past pain and get back to training the way they want. Whether your goal is squatting pain-free, lifting more weight, or just feeling stronger day to day, we’ll put together a plan that works for you.

👉 Book your athletic therapy session in Montreal today and start building pain-free movement.

📩 Have questions? Reach me directly at corequesttherapy@gmail.com.