In this episode, I’m sharing a movement that looks a little ridiculous… but tells you a lot about your body in seconds: the duck walk—walking forward while staying in a deep squat.

I take you back to where it actually came from: not fitness, but medicine. In the 1950s, orthopedic surgeons used the duck walk as a quick stress test for knee problems—especially the meniscus—because deep bending under body weight can reveal issues fast. And that’s exactly why it’s so interesting: it’s not just an exercise, it’s a snapshot of your mobility, strength, balance, and joint tolerance all at once.

I break down what the duck walk really is (deep squat + tiny controlled steps), why it feels brutally hard almost immediately, and what’s happening under the hood—your quads and glutes staying “on” the whole time, the higher energy cost, and the balance/proprioception challenge that makes most people wobble at first.

Then I share my own story: after breaking my left ankle and spending weeks in a boot, I struggled to fully get my mobility back—even when I stretched. The duck walk surprised me. It helped restore ankle dorsiflexion, made my deep squat steadier, and the improvement was noticeable enough that I kept it as a long-term practice.

But I’m also very clear about the fine print. This movement asks a lot from your knees. I walk through the key structures it stresses (patellofemoral joint, tibiofemoral joint, meniscus), the warning signs that mean you should stop (sharp pain, swelling later, catching/locking, giving way), and who should skip it or only do it with guidance.

Finally, I give you the practical “how”: treat it like a skill, start supported, keep steps small, modify the depth, and progress through simple phases over a few weeks instead of turning it into a knee lottery. If you want a fast way to assess where your weak link is—ankles, knees, balance, or strength—this episode will help you figure it out and build it safely.Dr. Marbas Substack: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/

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