Noisy Knees?

Often in the clinic patients ask why do my knees crack, pop, click or crunch? My reply is does it hurt when this happens? I ask this because it is common that this happens without pain. This noise is usually coming from the patellofemoral joint behind the knee cap. The noise is most likely due to the movement of fluid behind the kneecap that lubricates your joint and is not an indicator of a joint problem.

The noise you hear is known as crepitus in the medical world, it is not a condition it’s just a fancy word used for a noisy joint. Chances are you will experience this at some point in your life. Some common theories are bubbles of air popping inside the joint, ligaments and tendons snapping over a bony structure or the degeneration of cartilage in the joint from wear and tear over time.

Painful Knees?

It is when crepitus is happening repeatedly with pain that it can be a concern. Some conditions are osteoarthritis (degeneration of the cartilage of the joint), chondromalacia which is breakdown of cartilage behind the kneecap, patellofemoral syndrome (pain in front or around kneecap) caused by trauma or poor tracking of kneecap due to muscle imbalances and meniscus tears (cartilage tears).

It is with a combination of symptoms with the crepitus where further investigation should be done. In Physiotherapy we work to treat the inflammation and pain, as well as prescribe an exercise program that will loosen the tight muscle, strengthen the weak ones and stabilize the joint.

The intention of this blog is to help take away the negative thinking when individuals hear a noise when they move a body part, there isn’t necessarily something wrong, especially if there isn’t pain associated with it. Keep being active and enjoy life 🙂

Karen Evers R.Kin
Fortius Physiotherapy and Wellness