Originally Posted by
carleton
Actually, doing freeweight squats will better train the stabilizing muscles and tendons. . . .
. . . Proper squatting does not cause knee problems. I would suggest focusing on squat technique as you start progressing through your transition back into lifting as opposed to getting strong on the machines then switching over to free weight squats then finding that one small untrained muscle the hard way.
Yup. Actually, it's hard to cause knee injuries even with bad squat technique, as long as your feet are flat on the floor, and your knees are healthy to begin with. Squatting with raised heels transfers shear force to the knees. Back injuries are way more common with bad squatting technique.