“Oh, I can’t squat that deep, ” is what I sometimes get told by my clients when I train them for exercises. What do I think about it? I think they are right, maybe they can’t, and that’s ok. And why can’t they? Well, we are all different, and not one squat is equal to the other one. And possibly the answer is behind the fact that they may have a femoral anteversion. Indeed, femoral anteversion can affect how your hips rotate, how your feet naturally position themselves during a squat, and even how comfortable certain exercises feel. We Are Not Built the Same. And That’s Fine! Most recently, I was working with a client who presented with Lipoedema and, consequently, hypermobility, and when we got to work on her squat we notice that deep squat for her was not a thing (even thought she is hypermobile). Her PT, on the other hand, was asking her to just keep trying, gave her an app-video to train with, and told her that the squat had one way to be. Obviously this is not the case. We all squat differently, and there is nothign wrong with it. Than, after a short investigation, we realise that she can go deeper in the squat, if she use few tricks and tips. This is because her hips are antroverted. Moving forward from this single case scenario, we also have to remember that our movement is influenced by: Muscle strength Mobility Motor control Previous injuries – (actually, she also had severely injured her L ankle when she was a teen, and her dorsiflexion is compromised on that side) Joint structure Bone morphology The last point is often overlooked. In fact, the shape and orientation of the femur can significantly influence how the hip moves. This is where femoral anteversion and its counterpart, femoral retroversion, become important. Therefore, understanding these anatomical differences can help explain why you squat comfortably with feet narrow, standing and facing forward, while another naturally prefers a wider stance with their toes turned outward. What Is Femoral Anteversion? Femoral anteversion refers to the forward orientation of the femoral neck relative to the shaft of the femur. More simply, this means that the head and neck of the thigh bone are rotated more anteriorly than the norm. In fact, everyone is born with some degree of femoral anteversion. What can happen is that during growth and development, the amount gradually decreases, but the final angle varies considerably between individuals. Research by Scorletti M et al. (2020) has shown that femoral versions are present on a spectrum, where there is significant variation even among healthy adults. That’s where the word “normal” has no application. There is no “normal hip”. What indeed is normal is the variability of human anatomy. Regarding the characteristics of people with greater femoral anteversion, typically, we find: Increased hip internal rotation Reduced hip external rotation A tendency toward a more forward-facing foot position Greater comfort in certain squat positions Different movement strategies compared to those with retroverted hips And therefore, let’s underline the fact that femoral anteversion is not a pathology, but it is simply an anatomical variation. What Is Femoral Retroversion? Now that we have looked at femoral anteversion, it is time to look at the opposite presentation. In this case, the Femoral retroversion occurs when the femoral neck is oriented more posteriorly relative to the femoral shaft. These individuals often display: Increased hip external rotation Reduced hip internal rotation A natural toe-out posture Preference for wider squat stances Reduced comfort with feet pointing straight ahead None of those presentations is better than the other one, or more “normal”. They are simply different anatomical variations of the hip biomechanics. The results of one or the other one are that based on the presentation you show up with, there are going to be certain movements that for you are easier or less easy. The real issue stands when people attempt to force a movement pattern that doesn’t match their anatomy, especially if they told: “this is how you squat/move”. How Femoral Anteversion Influences Your Squat Now that we have a better idea of what is what, in terms of hip anatomy variation, we can look at how femoral anteversion affects your squatting. As the hips flex during a squat, the femoral neck moves within the acetabulum (hip socket). The available space for movement depends partly on the shape and orientation of the bones involved. Remember, the femoral hip joint is a socket/ball joint, so a sphere shape (femoral head) rolling inside a concave socket. So, if you are one of the individuals who present with greater femoral anteversion, you will find it more comfortable doing movements where: Feet are relatively straight Your stance is narrow to moderate Knees track naturally over the feet Don’t need an excessive toe-out stand Indeed, by contrast, individuals with femoral retroversion often prefer: A wider stance Greater foot turnout More externally rotated hip positions And again, this is why two healthy people can perform completely different-looking squats and both be moving optimally for their anatomy. Trying to force everybody into the same squat position ignores the reality of individual biomechanics and would put one or another individual in a place of lack of confidence or body negativity. Why Foot Position Matters So, now that we see both anteversion and retroversion hip presentation, it’s time to understand why the feet position can make a difference when doing a squat, and where it is needed for a deeper squat and where it is optional. Indeed, as mentioned above, for someone with a retroverted hip, having feet straight and worst, even if too close to each other, and delivering a squat, is not a thing. This is dictated by the fact that the foot direction, such as straight or laterally directed, is given by the rotation that we apply at the hip joint. A person with significant femoral anteversion may naturally feel strongest with minimal toe-out, whereas someone with retroversion […]