Effects of Knee Sleeves on Knee Mechanics During Squats at Variable Depths

The squat is a functional, compound and multi-joint exercise that targets several muscles of the lower body and is widely used in both athletics and many exercise programs. This exercise has been the subject of many studies, comparing different squat variations and examining how external gear, such as squat suits and knee wraps impact the exercise. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of wearing neoprene knee sleeves on lower extremity kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activations during weighted back squats. Fifteen resistance trained men and women, aged 28±5 years, from the local fitness community and university campus performed a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) of a deep squat during two separate sessions (5-7 days apart), one session while wearing knee sleeves and one session without; this was counterbalanced. A deep squat was classified as calf-hamstring contact in the bottom of the squat. Post 1-RM testing, two sets of three repetitions at a submaximal weight (80% 1-RM) were performed, one with deep squats (D) and one with parallel squats (P). A ten-camera motion capture system was used to collect three-dimensional (3D) kinematics and electromyography (EMG) was used to record muscle activity of the vastus medialis, rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and biceps femoris. Between sleeve and no-sleeve conditions, no significant differences were found in subject’s 1-RMs or in ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during 1RMs or submaximal lifts. No significant differences were found in knee joint angles at maximum depth or in knee moments or powers during descent, maximum depth, or ascent. Only integrated gluteus maximus (GM) activation during ascent (full depth to standing) was significantly greater during no-sleeve (1.35±0.52 %MVIC*seconds) compared to the sleeve (0.98±0.48 %MVIC*seconds) condition (p=0.05; Cohen’s d = 0.74) during 1-RM testing. For submaximal sets, a significant main effect was found for external rotation moments during descent, where moments were larger for the sleeve compared to no-sleeve condition (p=0.05; d = 0.67). No other kinematic or kinetic differences were found between conditions. Similar to maximal sets, greater integrated GM activation was found without sleeves (0.53±0.19 % MVIC*seconds) compared to sleeves (0.44±0.13 % MVIC*seconds) (p=0.04; d = 0.55). No other differences were found in muscle activations during maximum or sub-maximum squats. Comparing the sub-maximal squat depths, peak knee flexion angles were significantly greater (

Wearing Knee Sleeves During Back Squats Does Not Improve Mass Lifted or Affect Knee Biomechanics

Purpose:Knee sleeves have become widely popular in the exercise realm, especially for knee support during back squats. Knee sleeves are successful in providing frontal plane knee support during functional tasks, but have not been investigated in back squats. Knee wraps, a somewhat similar elastic material, provide elastic energy that increases weight lifted during back squats. Thus, it is possible the thick neoprene knee sleeves could prove advantageous for back squats. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knee sleeves on weight lifted, knee biomechanics, and muscle activations during back squats.Methods:Fifteen resistance trained men and women performed 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) squats to full depth and 80% 1-RM to full and parallel depths during two separate randomized sessions: with/without knee sleeves. Three-dimensional motion capture, force platforms, and electromyography recorded knee biomechanics and activations of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, biceps femoris long head, and gluteus maximus during all squats.Results:Maximal weight lifted did not improve when using knee sleeves. Frontal plane knee biomechanics did not differ for 1-RM or submaximal squats to either depth between conditions. Knee external rotation moments during descent were larger with sleeves during submaximal squats. Reduced integrated ascent phase gluteus maximus activations occurred during both 1-RM and submaximal squats with knee sleeves.Conclusions:The results of this study show that wearing knee sleeves does not provide additive effects to weight lifted and do not appear to alter frontal plane mechanics during weighted back squats