Hearing noise from your knees can be unnerving. After dropping your pen and squatting to collect it, you’re met with a chorus of crackles and pops, then stares from surprised onlookers. Are you falling apart? Do the noises alone indicate damage, disease, or an impending joint replacement surgery? Not necessarily.
Noise from the knees, or crepitus, is extremely common. As we age and our knee joints experience some wear, cartilage, or the tissue that covers the bony surfaces, can develop uneven areas. When we squat or stand, sounds come from these rougher surfaces gliding across each other. It could also be the rope-like tissues that connect bones to other bones, the ligaments, tightening as you move, or something as simple as gas bubbles popping in your joints.
As a rule, if your knees pop, crunch and crack, but you don’t have any symptoms aside from noise, then it’s unlikely that you have a major problem in the joint.
“A lot of joints crack and the knees are a really common joint to crack,” says David McAllister, MD, director of the UCLA's Sports Medicine Program. “Most people have knees that crack when they squat down. We generally don’t worry about cracking or popping when it isn’t associated with pain or swelling.”
If there is knee pain or swelling along with noise from the knees, you may have signs of structural damage or disease activity building within or around the joint, and it’s time to seek professional treatment. Potential issues include:
Cracking and popping noises from the knees are typical, but when the sounds are accompanied by knee pain or swelling, it’s time to seek professional assistance. Flexogenix offers safe and effective results and our innovative Knee-Flex 5-Step Program can keep you in an active lifestyle. Contact us today for your free consultation!