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11 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020 
 

Simple Squat Assessment: Post-Intervention Changes to Pain and 
Function 
Austin W. Strabala, MS, LAT, ATC*; Kyle Sela, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS†; Forrest Q. Pecha, MS, LAT, 
ATC* 
*St. Luke’s Sports Medicine, Boise, ID; †Movement Guides Inc., Meridian, ID  
 

 
 
Full Citation 
Strabala AW, Sela K, Pecha FQ. Simple squat 
assessment: Post-intervention changes to pain and 
function. Clin Pract Athl Train. 2020;3(1):11-12. 
https://doi.org/10.31622/2020/0003.5.  
 
Presented at the 3rd Annual Athletic Trainers in the 
Physician Practice Society Meeting and Conference, 
Columbia South Carolina. February 28-29, 2020  
  

ABSTRACT 

Background: Squatting to toilet seat height is a 
movement pattern most people do daily. Simple 
verbal and tactile feedback while squatting can 
improve an individual’s ability to squat safely and 
efficiently. The Simple Squat Assessment (SSA) is 
a screening and intervention tool used to assess an 
individual’s ability to squat to toilet seat height. 
Purpose: To determine if intervention through the 
SSA will improve function and decrease pain when 
squatting to toilet seat height. 
Methods: 690 participants were enrolled in the 
SSA. Participants were asked to squat to toilet 
seat height (43cm) and were scored from 0-3 for 
function. Performance improvement was indicated 
if a participant received a score of 0 or 1. A score 
of 3 indicated the ability to squat under control, 
without assistance of hands, without pain, and with 
proper form. A score of 2 indicates the ability to 
squat under control, without pain, without 
assistance, but with improper form. A score of 1 
indicates the individual must use hands for 
assistance to perform this test under control. A 
score of 0 indicates the individual is unable to 
perform or has increased pain rated from 0-10 
on the pain scale. Pain scores were assessed using 
a 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS). Intervention 
consisted of verbal and tactile feedback to 

improve form. The participant was then re-tested, 
re-scored, and asked to re-evaluate their pain 
post-intervention. 
Results: 690 participants (137 Males, 553 
Females). (Males- 44.7±18.5yrs, Females- 
47.9±17.0yrs). 565 individuals scored a 2 or 3 
on the SSA. 125 individuals scored a 0 or 1 (110 
participants-0, 15 participants-1) and were 
treated with intervention. 54.4% (68/125) of 
participants who scored a 0 or 1 were able to 
improve their score to a 2 or 3 post intervention. 
77% (95/125) reported a decrease in pain 
through intervention. 
Conclusion: Application of the SSA identifies 
those individuals who would benefit from simple 
intervention to reduce pain and improve form of 
a functional movement that all able individuals 
must perform daily. Squat mechanics can be 
improved in a short amount of time that can 
improve everyday movement. 
 
 
Correspondence 
Austin Strabala. 2618 N Alamo Rd, Boise, ID.  
Email: Strabala@slhs.org  
 
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mailto:Strabala@slhs.org
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https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001040


Simple Squat Assessment: Post-Intervention Changes to Pain and Function 
 

 

12 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020  

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https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000004111



