Squats that strengthen core muscles: Do not do them if you have 'this condition'.

 

Caution if your knees are weak

A squat is a movement where you stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees, and push your hips back as you lower your body, then return to the starting position. During this process, the muscles of the back, hips, thighs, and calves are strengthened. Naturally, the ligaments and muscles around the knee joint can also be reinforced, but this places stress on the 'meniscus' located between the joints. When performing a squat, you need to repeatedly bend your knees to about 90 degrees and straighten them, which puts load on the meniscus cartilage in the knee. People with severe degenerative knee osteoarthritis often have weakened meniscus cartilage, and performing squats that repeatedly apply load can increase the risk of damage.

When you have arthritis, it's best to avoid doing squats altogether, and if you do, you should perform mini squats that only bend the knees to 45 degrees to reduce the strain on the meniscus.

People with hemorrhoids should also avoid doing squats. Among hemorrhoids, hemorrhoids are a condition where the veins in the anal area swell and protrude, causing the blood vessels and mucous membranes inside the anus to come out. This occurs when sitting or standing for long periods, during constipation, or when blood circulation in the anal area is not smooth. The same applies to squats. You need to engage your abdomen, legs, and hips and then stand up, but during this process, intra-abdominal pressure increases, raising the pressure in the blood vessels around the anus. This can worsen hemorrhoid symptoms.

After doing muscle exercises that require exertion like squats, symptoms such as hemorrhoids protruding more or passing blood in stool may worsen. Patients with dilated and weakened blood vessels around the anus should prefer exercises like walking, cycling, or light jogging.