4 ms·

Old people in the developing world often have knee or back problems. I don't think significant squatting is a good idea. The article buries the fact that "ther

by ummonk 7y ago

Old people in the developing world often have knee or back problems. I don't think significant squatting is a good idea. The article buries the fact that "there are studies to suggest that populations that spend excessive time in a deep squat (hours per day), do have a higher incidence of knee and osteoarthritis issues."

firethief 7y ago
Don't those old people tend to have a history of hard physical labor? I would expect that to overwhelm the squatting-or-not effect size...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
triceratops 7y ago
Knee and back are universal problem areas for old people.
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
  That was my reaction, too. Old people in the US certainly aren't known for their knee/back virility. Hell, the top Reddit comment on a recent image of an adult woman sitting on her knees was "my knees and back are killing me just looking at that!" with hundreds of people weighing with their stories of bodily problems and how they can't even jog. Presumably a demographic much younger than what we're talking about. I remember thinking "wow, we are dying."
- boutad 7y ago
  > there are studies to suggest that populations that spend excessive time in a deep squat (hours per day), do have a higher incidence of knee and osteoarthritis issues.
  - triceratops 7y ago
    They linked to one study. Here's the method they used: "We recruited a random sample of Beijing residents age > or =60 years. Subjects answered questions on joint symptoms, and knee radiographs were obtained. Subjects were also asked to recall the average amount of time spent on squatting each day at youth (25 years or so)." The full text of the paper is unavailable (404) so I can't say whether they controlled for factors such as family income, occupational history, weight issues etc. Relying on people in their 60s to remember how much they used to squat daily 30+ years ago doesn't seem like it will give necessarily accurate or reliable data (though I also can't think of other methods that don't involve time travel). I think more studies, with better quality data, are needed to definitively state that prolonged squatting leads to knee issues. And in the Western world, many can't even do a full-depth squat, let alone prolonged squatting, so maybe start with that before worrying about knee issues.

by ummonk 7y ago

firethief 7y ago

Don't those old people tend to have a history of hard physical labor? I would expect that to overwhelm the squatting-or-not effect size...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

triceratops 7y ago

Knee and back are universal problem areas for old people.

hombre_fatal 7y ago
That was my reaction, too. Old people in the US certainly aren't known for their knee/back virility. Hell, the top Reddit comment on a recent image of an adult woman sitting on her knees was "my knees and back are killing me just looking at that!" with hundreds of people weighing with their stories of bodily problems and how they can't even jog. Presumably a demographic much younger than what we're talking about. I remember thinking "wow, we are dying."
boutad 7y ago
> there are studies to suggest that populations that spend excessive time in a deep squat (hours per day), do have a higher incidence of knee and osteoarthritis issues.
- triceratops 7y ago
  They linked to one study. Here's the method they used: "We recruited a random sample of Beijing residents age > or =60 years. Subjects answered questions on joint symptoms, and knee radiographs were obtained. Subjects were also asked to recall the average amount of time spent on squatting each day at youth (25 years or so)." The full text of the paper is unavailable (404) so I can't say whether they controlled for factors such as family income, occupational history, weight issues etc. Relying on people in their 60s to remember how much they used to squat daily 30+ years ago doesn't seem like it will give necessarily accurate or reliable data (though I also can't think of other methods that don't involve time travel). I think more studies, with better quality data, are needed to definitively state that prolonged squatting leads to knee issues. And in the Western world, many can't even do a full-depth squat, let alone prolonged squatting, so maybe start with that before worrying about knee issues.