Squat Depth - Why it should be normalized.

In a biomechanical review, a bilateral squat can be used to judge performance or the mobility of a person. For activities of daily living or for general functional capacity it can be critical to better motion health years as we age. However, to use this information correctly, the measurement should not be taken at face value. It needs to be adjusted to improve it's value and insight.

When performing a bilateral squat the goal is simple; squat as low as you can. Often times the lower you squat the stronger it correlates to better motion health. However, when trying to understand how squat depth is understood we start with its empirical measurement. For example, you can have a squat depth of 15 inches. That's good right?

In that 15 inch squat example, if you are a 4 foot tall person vs a 7 foot tall person that 15 inch squat can look very different. Therefore, the overall measurement value can be misleading. Now, if we convert that 15 inch squat to a percentage of the person's limb length we have a depth that is measured as a percentage. (it is normalized to the limb length). If we re-examine that 15 inch squat for the 4 and 7 foot tall person the new result would be:

4 foot tall = 15 inch squat = 70% of their limb length

7 foot tall = 15 inch squat = 30% of their limb length

We now have a way to compare squat performance for the two individuals that is more insightful and useful for review.

This is an example of one of the many DARI data analytics solutions....Finding ways to make your data more insightful and useful.

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