I’ve run into a bit of a problem with my squat recently. When I squat down with really any weight in the bar, high bar or low bar, my left hip starts hurting like it’s getting impinged at the bottom and all the way up the squat. I’ve tried different stance width, pointing my toes out more and less, leaning over more, leaning over less, going slower, going faster, etc. I can’t figure it out, and it’s making it impossible to squat. Any advice?
Also, when I squat down, I feel like more mass in my left hip than my right, like the tissue is too tight and is just bundled up there, and is creating a mass that’s creating the pinching feeling on my hip instead if the femoral head, but I don’t see how that’s happening though.
Have you tried a shorter ROM, though its possible you may just need to start w/ BW squats, or even something less specific such as leg press or split squats. I wouldn’t worry to much about a mechanical explanation of your pain, rather just focus on finding an entry point and building your way back up with the understanding that feeling some pain doesn’t mean you’re actively causing structural damage. You can always continue to build muscle w/ other exercises (isolation exercises may be useful) while your rebuilding your tolerance to squatting.
I would agree with the post above and the article that was linked. We also have a rehab podcast on the hip “impingement” concern (Pain & Rehab episode 5, August 2019).
If you aren’t able to make progress using these (and our other resources), we’d recommend a consultation with our rehab team: Contact Us | Barbell Medicine