Difficulty Squatting

You want to go into a squat, to move downward, to kneel — and your knee won't cooperate. Not acutely injured, not visibly swollen. Simply: it won't work. Or only with pain. Or only up to a certain point, where an inner stop sets in, a resistance, a block that you cannot open through will alone.

Orthopedically there are many names for this — arthrosis, meniscus damage, shortened ligaments, cartilage wear, patellar problems. A specialist evaluation is important and belongs at the beginning. But those who have already seen a doctor and who have physiotherapy, insoles, or operations behind them will notice at some point: the subject has a second level. One that the X-ray does not show.

The knee is a hinge. It allows you to move downward. And that is exactly the question your body is asking you: Where in your life are you refusing to bend?