If you experience knee squat pain every time you lower into a squat, you're not alone. One of the most common reasons people ask, "Why does my knee hurt when I squat?" is because their knees begin collapsing inward during the movement. This issue, often called knee valgus, places extra stress on the knee joint and can lead to pain, poor performance, and even injury if it's left uncorrected.
The good news? In many cases, the problem doesn't actually start at the knee.
If your knee hurts when you squat, take a look at your movement. Do your knees drift toward each other as you lower into the squat or when you begin standing back up—especially with heavier weight?
This inward collapse is often caused by weakness in a muscle on the outside of your hip called the gluteus medius.
The gluteus medius plays a critical role in stabilizing your pelvis and controlling your leg position during movement. When it's weak, your knee has a much harder time staying aligned over your foot, allowing it to cave inward. Over time, this abnormal movement pattern increases stress on the knee and can contribute to discomfort during squats, lunges, running, and other lower-body exercises.
One of the most effective ways to reduce knee squat pain is by strengthening the gluteus medius.
This muscle helps:
The exercise below is one of our favorite ways to activate the glute medius because you'll usually feel it working almost immediately.
Lie on your side and support yourself on your forearm.
Before you begin:
Proper positioning is essential for targeting the correct muscle.
Slowly roll onto the front edge of your bottom knee while keeping your back straight.
Avoid leaning forward or lifting your body toward your head. Instead, think about sitting your hips back while maintaining a neutral spine.
If you're positioned correctly, you should already begin feeling the glute on the bottom side working.
Without changing your posture, slowly lift your top leg.
Hold the position for five seconds, then slowly lower it back down while maintaining your body position. Don't collapse between repetitions.
Repeat for several controlled repetitions.
This is one of the most important parts.
You should feel a strong burn in the back and outside of your hip, where the gluteus medius is located.
If you primarily feel the exercise in the front of your hip, adjust your position before continuing. A slight change in body angle often makes a huge difference.
Remember:
When performed correctly, this exercise quickly activates the muscles responsible for keeping your knees from collapsing inward.
Weak hips aren't the only possible cause.
If you have flat feet, they may also contribute to your knees collapsing inward during a squat. Poor foot stability changes the way forces travel up your leg, often leading to altered knee mechanics.
Improving both foot stability and hip strength can make a significant difference in reducing knee pain and improving squat performance.
If your knee hurts when you squat despite improving your form and strengthening your hips, it's worth getting evaluated by a movement specialist.
Persistent knee squat pain may be caused by:
A thorough assessment can identify the root cause and help you return to lifting safely.
At Empower Health + Performance, we help active adults, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts identify the true cause of movement-related pain. Whether you're dealing with knee pain during squats, sports injuries, or mobility limitations, our team can create a personalized treatment plan to help you move better and perform at your best.
Don't let knee squat pain keep you out of the gym. Schedule an evaluation today and let us help you get back to pain-free movement.
Keep Moving!
Does your lower back feel tight, achy, or stiff after standing for a long time?
Whether you're working on your feet, standing at an event, cooking dinner, or waiting in long lines, that nagging discomfort can make even simple tasks frustrating.
The good news is that low back pain after standing is often caused by a common posture mistake that can be corrected. With a few simple adjustments and the right exercises, you can reduce irritation and improve how your body handles prolonged standing.
If you're looking for a way to fix low back pain after standing, understanding what's happening in your posture is the first step.
Many people assume standing is better than sitting.
While standing does have benefits, poor standing posture can place excessive stress on the lower back.
One of the most common reasons people experience low back pain after standing is excessive arching through the lower back.
This typically happens when:
Over time, this posture places constant tension on the muscles and joints of the lower back, leading to the tight and achy feeling many people experience.
The next time you notice low back pain after standing, pay attention to your posture.
Many people immediately notice that their knees are locked and their lower back is heavily arched.
A simple correction can often provide immediate relief.
Try these steps:
This adjustment helps distribute stress more evenly throughout your body and can reduce pressure on the lower back.
For many people, this small change provides noticeable relief within minutes.
While posture changes can help immediately, long-term relief requires improving your ability to control your spine.
The goal is to teach your body how to resist excessive arching through the lower back.
One of the best exercises for low back pain after standing focuses on core stability.
Start by lying on your back with a small pillow supporting the top of your head.
Make sure your chin stays slightly tucked rather than pointing upward.
Then:
The entire time, your legs should stay close to your chest.
If your knees drift away from your body, you may start arching through your lower back again.
This exercise trains the muscles responsible for stabilizing your spine.
Instead of relying on your lower back muscles to support your body while standing, your core learns to help share the workload.
You should feel:
Perform five repetitions of 5 to 10 second holds.
As your core becomes stronger, standing for longer periods often becomes much more comfortable.
Another common cause of low back pain after standing is tight hip flexors.
The hip flexors connect the front of the hips to the pelvis and spine. When these muscles become tight, they can pull the pelvis forward and increase the arch in the lower back.
This places additional stress on the structures that are already working hard to keep you upright.
People who sit for long periods during the day often develop tight hip flexors that contribute to standing-related back pain.
Improving hip mobility alongside core strength can significantly reduce symptoms.
If you're trying to fix low back pain after standing, avoid these common mistakes:
Even with good posture, your body benefits from movement throughout the day.
Changing positions regularly can help prevent stiffness and muscle fatigue.
In addition to improving posture and core strength, these strategies may help:
Small changes often create meaningful improvements over time.
If you continue experiencing low back pain after standing despite improving your posture and exercise routine, a professional evaluation can help identify the root cause.
At Empower Health + Performance in Cypress, CA, we help patients throughout Orange County, including Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Westminster, overcome pain and move more confidently.
Through chiropractic care, rehabilitation, movement assessments, and personalized treatment plans, our team helps patients address the source of their discomfort rather than simply masking symptoms.
If you're ready to find lasting relief from low back pain after standing, contact Empower Health + Performance today to schedule an evaluation and get back to doing what you love. Keep moving!
Hip pain can make everyday activities frustrating. You may notice stiffness when getting out of a chair, aching after sitting for too long, or discomfort while squatting, running, or exercising.
Many people assume the hip itself is the problem. However, that is not always the case.
If you're searching for how to fix hip pain, the source of the problem may actually be coming from your lower back, mid-back, or the muscles surrounding your spine.
The good news is that improving mobility and stability in the right areas can often help reduce pain and improve how your hips function.
The hip relies on several muscles, joints, and nerves working together.
Many of the nerves that supply the hip originate in the lower back. When the lower back becomes stiff or irritated, those nerves can become sensitive and contribute to discomfort in the hip.
This is especially common in people who:
In many cases, learning how to fix hip pain starts with addressing what is happening above the hip rather than focusing only on the hip itself.
One of the best ways to improve hip pain is by restoring mobility through the upper and lower spine.
A simple wall exercise can help.
Stand with your lower back, mid-back, and head against a wall. Bring the bottoms of your feet together and gently tuck your chin, almost as if you are creating a double chin.
From there, place your hands together and slowly reach toward the ceiling.
As you reach, maintain contact between your head and the wall. Do not allow your chin to lift.
You should feel a stretch through your upper back and torso.
Perform six to eight repetitions while focusing on controlled breathing.
This movement helps improve mobility around the spine and may reduce irritation affecting the nerves that travel toward the hip.
Many people with hip pain unknowingly overuse their lower back during daily activities and exercise.
When the lower back takes over, extra stress is placed on the muscles and nerves that influence hip movement.
A strong core helps prevent this compensation.
One effective exercise starts by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Hold a kettlebell, dumbbell, or light weight above your chest.
Slowly move the weight overhead while keeping your rib cage down and your lower back flat against the floor.
The goal is to resist arching through the lower back.
You should feel your core working throughout the movement.
This exercise teaches your body how to stabilize properly and is one of the most effective strategies for people looking for hip pain relief.
As your control improves, you can make the exercise more challenging.
First, lift your feet off the ground while continuing to move the weight overhead.
If you can maintain a flat back without discomfort, try extending one leg at a time.
Advanced individuals may eventually extend both legs while moving the weight overhead.
Throughout every progression, your lower back should remain flat against the floor.
If your back begins to arch, return to an easier version.
Learning how to fix hip pain often requires mastering the basics before progressing to more difficult exercises.
Many people unintentionally increase irritation by using the wrong muscles during exercise.
Common mistakes include:
Your body often provides warning signs before pain becomes severe.
If an exercise reproduces the same aching sensation you typically feel in your hip, it may be too advanced for your current level.
Focus on quality movement rather than difficulty.
Along with improving mobility and core stability, a few simple habits can help reduce irritation:
These strategies can support long-term hip pain relief and improve overall movement quality.
If you've tried stretching, exercising, and modifying your activities but still struggle with hip pain, a professional evaluation can help uncover the root cause.
At Empower Health + Performance in Cypress, CA, we help patients throughout Orange County, including Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Westminster, identify movement limitations, improve function, and reduce pain.
Through chiropractic care, rehabilitation, movement assessments, and personalized treatment plans, our team helps patients find lasting hip pain relief and return to the activities they enjoy.
If you're looking for answers on how to fix hip pain, contact Empower Health + Performance today to schedule an evaluation and start moving with confidence again.
A good running warm-up does more than help you feel loose. It prepares your body to move better, use energy more efficiently, and reduce the chance of pain during your run.
Whether you are running through Cypress, heading to the San Gabriel River Trail, jogging near Oak Knoll Park, or getting miles in around Orange County, your body needs the right areas ready before you hit the trail.
The best warm-up for runners should focus on three key areas: the mid-back, core, and hips. These areas help you rotate, transfer power, and move with better control.
Running may look like a lower-body activity, but your whole body works together.
Your arms pump, your mid-back rotates, your core transfers energy, and your hips help drive you forward. If one area does not move well, another area has to work harder.
Over time, that compensation can lead to tightness, discomfort, or injury.
A smart warm-up gets your body ready before the first mile, not after pain starts.
The first area runners should warm up is the thoracic spine, also called the mid-back.
When you run, your arms swing and your upper body rotates. That rotation should come from the mid-back. If your thoracic spine feels stiff, your body may compensate through the lower back, hips, or shoulders.
To warm up your mid-back, start in a lunge position. Keep your ankle, knee, and hip at about 90 degrees. Interlock your fingers and bring your arms straight in front of you.
Rotate away from the knee that is up.
You should feel a stretch between your shoulder blades and through the mid-back. Perform six to eight reps on each side.
Make sure your front knee stays still. Do not let it follow your upper body as you rotate.
The core plays a major role in helping runners transfer energy.
As your arms pump and your mid-back rotates, your core helps transfer that energy to your legs. When your core does not stabilize well, your body loses power and your legs may have to work harder than they should.
A plank rock is a great way to activate your core before a run.
Start in a forearm plank with your chest lifted away from the ground. Keep your pelvis in a neutral position and avoid arching your lower back.
Rock forward and backward six to eight times.
Then lift one leg while keeping your pelvis steady. Rock forward and backward again, then switch sides.
Your goal is to avoid shifting, tilting, or sagging. This teaches your body to stay stable while your legs move.
The hips may be the most important part of the best warm-up for runners.
Your glutes and hamstrings help propel you forward. If you have been sitting at work, driving, or spending time at a desk, these muscles may need extra attention before your run.
Instead of just swinging your leg back and forth, use a movement that looks and feels more like running.
Hold onto a wall, counter, fence, or post for balance. Stand tall and reach one leg back as far as you can while keeping your back straight. You should feel your glute and hamstring turn on.
Then return to standing and repeat six to eight times per side.
Focus on reaching back with your heel rather than dumping pressure into your knee. If you want to make it harder, reach your opposite hand forward while reaching your heel back.
Many runners skip their warm-up or rush through a few random stretches before starting.
That can leave important areas unprepared.
Common mistakes include:
The best warm-up for runners should be active, controlled, and specific to running mechanics.
Runners throughout Cypress and Orange County have great places to train, from neighborhood routes near Cypress College to parks, trails, and beach paths in nearby Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
But no matter where you run, your body needs the right preparation.
A better warm-up can help you run with more control, less strain, and better confidence.
If you deal with recurring running pain, tight hips, lower back discomfort, knee pain, or mobility issues, Empower Health + Performance can help.
Located in Cypress, CA, and serving patients throughout Orange County, including Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Westminster, our team helps active individuals move better and stay in the activities they enjoy.
Through chiropractic care, rehabilitation, movement assessments, and personalized exercise plans, Empower Health + Performance helps runners improve mobility, build strength, and reduce pain.
Contact Empower Health + Performance today to schedule an evaluation and keep moving with confidence.
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit a healthcare provider. In fact, experts estimate that more than 80% of people will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives.
Many people assume they need stronger back muscles to decrease back pain. While back strength is important, core stability often plays an even bigger role. A strong and stable core helps protect the spine by preventing excessive movement in the lower back during daily activities and exercise.
If you're looking for lower back pain relief, these five core exercises to decrease back pain can help improve stability, reduce strain on the spine, and support better movement.
One of the primary functions of the core is to create stability.
When your core does not properly engage, your body looks for stability somewhere else. For many people, that compensation occurs in the muscles of the lower back.
Over time, those muscles become overworked and irritated, which can contribute to lower back pain.
The goal of these core exercises to decrease back pain is not to create movement. Instead, they teach your body to resist unwanted movement and protect the spine.
This is why exercises like sit-ups and crunches are often not the best choice for people seeking lower back pain relief.
The plank is one of the most effective core exercises to decrease back pain because it teaches your body to maintain stability.
To perform a plank:
One of the biggest mistakes people make is arching their lower back during the exercise. If you feel pressure in your lower back, reset your position and engage your core.
Aim to hold the position for 30 seconds before progressing.
Once you can perform a standard plank, it is time to increase the challenge.
Place a small ball on your back while holding a plank position. Slowly lift one leg and hold for several seconds before switching sides.
The ball provides instant feedback.
If the ball falls, your body is allowing excessive motion through the lower back. The goal is to keep the ball stable throughout the movement.
This exercise helps improve the stability necessary to decrease back pain during daily activities and sports.
This is one of the best core exercises to decrease back pain because it challenges your ability to maintain control while moving your arms.
Start in a push-up position with a ball balanced on your back.
From there:
The wider your feet, the easier the exercise becomes. As your strength improves, you can narrow your stance to increase the difficulty.
This movement develops anti-rotation strength, which is important for lower back pain relief and injury prevention.
The fourth exercise builds on the previous movements while increasing the challenge to your core.
Begin in a forearm plank with a ball on your back.
Lift one arm and rotate toward the same side while maintaining a stable pelvis. Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
Focus on keeping your hips elevated and preventing excessive motion in the lower back.
This exercise trains your body to stabilize the spine during rotational movements, which can help decrease back pain over time.
The plank to push-up is one of the most advanced core exercises to decrease back pain.
Start in a forearm plank with a ball balanced on your back.
Slowly transition into a push-up position and then return to the forearm plank.
Throughout the movement:
This exercise challenges nearly every aspect of core stability and helps reinforce proper movement patterns.
Many people perform core exercises but continue experiencing lower back pain because they make a few common mistakes.
These include:
Focus on quality movement rather than the number of repetitions.
Better technique often produces better lower back pain relief than simply doing more exercises.
While these core exercises to decrease back pain can be highly effective, they are only one piece of the puzzle.
Other factors that commonly contribute to lower back pain include:
Addressing these issues alongside a strengthening program often leads to better long-term results.
If your lower back pain continues despite exercise, it may be time for a professional evaluation.
At Empower Health + Performance in Cypress, CA, we help patients throughout Orange County, including Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Westminster, identify the root cause of their pain and create personalized treatment plans.
Through chiropractic care, rehabilitation, movement assessments, and corrective exercise programs, we help patients achieve lasting lower back pain relief and return to the activities they enjoy.
If you're ready to decrease back pain and improve your movement, contact Empower Health + Performance today to schedule an evaluation. Keep moving!
Neck pain after workout sessions is a common problem for active adults, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts. Many people assume they injured something serious, but in many cases, the discomfort comes from simple movement mistakes that place unnecessary stress on the muscles and joints of the neck.
The good news is that small adjustments to your form can make a big difference. If you consistently experience neck pain after workout sessions, there are two common mistakes that may be contributing to the problem.
One of the most common causes of neck pain after workout routines is poor neck positioning.
Many people try to keep their back straight by looking up toward the ceiling while performing exercises such as:
Although it may feel like you are improving your posture, this position places significant stress on the muscles in the back of your neck.
Your neck should remain in a neutral position throughout the movement. Think of your head and spine as one straight line. Instead of looking up, keep your eyes focused slightly ahead of you while maintaining a natural head position.
When you repeatedly look upward during a workout, tension begins to build in the muscles surrounding the neck and upper back. Over time, that tension can lead to soreness, stiffness, and persistent neck pain.
If you are dealing with neck pain after workout sessions, correcting your head position may provide immediate relief.
If you're experiencing neck pain after a workout, start by correcting your form before increasing weight or intensity.
Focus on:
For many people, improving exercise mechanics is one of the most effective ways to relieve neck pain after a workout. Better posture reduces unnecessary strain on the neck, improves movement efficiency, and helps prevent the pain from returning.
Another common cause of neck pain is allowing the upper body to collapse during exercises.
This often occurs during:
When your shoulder blades pinch together and your chest drops toward the floor, your upper back muscles must work harder to support the position.
Many of those muscles attach directly into the neck.
As a result, excessive strain can travel upward and contribute to neck pain after workout activities.
Instead of letting your body sag, actively push the ground away from you. This creates better stability through the shoulders and upper back while reducing unnecessary stress on the neck.
The neck and upper back work together as part of a connected system.
When your shoulders lose stability, your neck often compensates.
For example, if you allow your chest to sink during a plank while simultaneously looking upward, you create a perfect recipe for neck pain. The muscles surrounding the neck become overloaded while trying to stabilize your head and upper body.
Maintaining proper shoulder positioning helps distribute force throughout the body more effectively.
For those wondering how to relief neck pain after a workout, improving shoulder control is often just as important as correcting neck posture.
If you want to reduce neck pain and improve your exercise performance, remember these simple principles:
These adjustments may seem minor, but they can dramatically reduce neck pain after workout sessions and help you move more efficiently.
Occasional soreness can happen after a challenging workout. However, recurring neck pain, limited range of motion, headaches, numbness, or discomfort that does not improve may indicate a deeper issue.
A professional evaluation can help identify movement limitations, muscle imbalances, or underlying conditions that may be contributing to your symptoms.
If you continue to experience neck pain after workout sessions despite improving your technique, the team at Empower Health + Performance can help.
Located in Cypress, CA, and serving patients throughout Orange County, including Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Westminster, our team focuses on identifying the root cause of pain and helping patients move better.
Through chiropractic care, rehabilitation, movement assessment, and personalized treatment plans, we help active individuals return to the activities they enjoy with less pain and better performance.
Contact Empower Health + Performance today to schedule an evaluation and take the next step toward lasting relief from neck pain. Keep moving!
Do you have poor posture? In this video, you'll be given two easy exercises to help fix your swayback posture. There are typically two things that can cause swayback: 1. An imbalance in the core muscles 2. A stiff thoracic spine (midback). By doing these exercises you'll improve your posture and minimize all your aches and pains.
Planks are an awesome core exercise if you don’t make these common mistakes! Planks allow you to keep your spine safe, unlike sit-ups and crunches. This video will ensure that you know how to plank the correct way to get the most out of your workout. Is holding a plank boring or too easy for you? Two of our favorite variations are shown toward the end of the video. Make sure you can at least hold the plank for more than 30 seconds before progressing yourself.
This video will give you two advanced exercises that will help you start improving your arch support. People with flat feet tend to have a bad balance which results in overuse of other regions of their body. The knees and low back are two of the more common areas that are directly affected by having flat feet. This video will teach you how to build awareness of proper foot positioning and help you develop strength in the muscles of your feet which will allow you to have better arch support. Therefore, minimizing your aches and pains.
Being able to squat is extremely important! We need to be able to rely on the squat pattern to get in and out of chairs, get up off the floor, pick up heavy objects, and so much more. Since it is a complex movement, a lot of people forget how to squat properly. We assess the squat pattern on every patient because it gives us an understanding of how our patients strategize their movements throughout their day. Having a poor squat puts you at a higher risk for developing aches and pains. By doing these three exercises you’ll be able to improve your squat pattern and minimize your risk of injury.
