Assessing and Correcting Tibial Internal Rotation – Improve Your Deep Squat

We all know the importance of hip and ankle mobility for deep squatting.  What most people don’t know about is the importance of adequate tibial internal rotation.

Say what?

Ya, I was confused at first too.  You see, we all love the cue knees out during the squat.  Depending on who you like to get your facts from we want to be getting our knees to track out somewhere between the 2nd and fifth toes (aka Mr. Pinky toe).

When we sink into a deep squat we need to have adequate mobility of the hips in order to drive the knees out to track properly over the toes.  When we descend into the deep squat we also need to have adequate tibial internal rotation to get the knees out over the toes without also spinning the feet out.  This would be an important screen for your athletes who can’t seem to get their knees out over their toes, and have excessive toe out (Keep in mind you have to rule out the hips too).

Ala SFMA we can assess this:

If you’re missing some internal rotation you’d benefit from trying to correct this.  For the clinicians out there, physical therapist and friend Dr E. has some excellent manual techniques for improving tibial internal rotation and subsequently, your deep squat.  Get some knowledge below:

Here’s another do it yourself drill from Adam Kelly Using Dr. E’s Edge Bands.  I use this drill quite a bit myself:

Get to work,

Dan Pope DPT, CSCS

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