by DocBill
Wow, look at this!
by Dr. Bill Houghton
Vertical Shins! Came across this Pic at Rainier CrossFit. Nice looking squat with near vertical shins. This position greatly reduces shear force on the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament of the knee). Bad squat form, with the knees tracking way out over the toes, really loads the ACL and is hard on the knees. Learning to squat with vertical shins takes some time (2 5 years for most adults), but the process is worth it. Along the wasy back posture improves (squatting is excellent for the extensor muscles) as does the health of the back, hips, knees and ankles. As strength returns to the movement, balance and agility also improve. The reason that it takes 2 5 years to re-learn to squat properly is from disabled hip function from sitting. Sitting in charis, benches, auto seats, etc prevents us from using the full range of motion (ROM) of the hip structures and we also atrophy and lose neurological control of the assocaited structrues. But I know from my chiropractic expereince and my experience as a CrossFit trainer that hip function can be recovered. Hip function has to be recovered or we are disabled and will suffer some pretty dire consequences later in life. 