If you’ve just started to exercise and squats are new to you- GO YOU! Don’t let this post cause you to overthink your movement. Go. squat, and if you decide you want to learn more, come back to read this post and ask me lots of questions.
If exercise is your life, you’ve likely heard of the butt wink. But just in case you’ve not, I’ll explain.
When we squat, our hips flex as we go down towards the ground. We see a butt wink when the low back rounds excessively and the pelvis rotates backward as we reach the bottom of the squat.
Here’s a little video to show you.
Since we much prefer a neutral spine as we squat, this isn’t ideal.
So how do we fix it?
Here are my steps to fixing it when I observe it in the office:
- Coach it
I don’t jump to the conclusion that this isn’t something they can control. A few cues may clean it right up. Sometimes people begin the squat standing with an arched low back. This might result in a butt wink once they reach the bottom of the squat. A simple cue to change the posture could fix it right up! These people may also need a little extra core stability work
- Check and improve mobility
Hip internal and external rotation and ankle dorsiflexion are all super important for squatting. You may be wondering how a limitation in the ankles or hips could cause the back to round. The short answer is this:the body is a chain, and when there’s mobility missing in one area, the body will get it someplace else (compensation). Fixing these make the butt wink disappear.
This is just where I’d begin. If you try them all and the butt wink is still present, you are going to want to get that checked out. If we can improve the mechanics of your squat, we decrease the amount of flexion under load we your spine is enduring. (Not that flexion under load is bad, but when it’s not intentional, we don’t want it.)
Try these things out and let me know how it goes!
Dr. Rachel Atuunwa PT, DPT