Often the question is phrased slightly differently and patients relate it to certain activities, such as. Why do my knees click when I walk? Why do my knees click when I squat? Why do my knees click when I go upstairs? Why do my knees click when I go downstairs? The next question is often; is it arthritis?
It is not just old people that experience it, can affect people of all ages! She has never injured her knees; it does not stop her running or playing sport and she has never had any knee pain.
Is she worried now or about the future of her knees?? The clicking could occur for a few different reasons. Although the noise can be quite alarming on occasion, they are seldom a reason to worry. There was much debate initially but in a real-time medical imaging study of joint spaces revealed the answer!! The noise occurs because tiny air bubbles nitrogen accumulate within the fluid inside your joints and when you move, they collapse or burst due to the changes in pressure inside the joint.
The noise occurs when the gas bubbles collapse. In the knee this can occur from either the knee joint itself between the tibia shin bone and the femur thigh bone , known at the tibio-femoral joint or the joint on the front of the knee between the patella kneecap and the femur thigh bone , known as the patellofemoral joint.
It also explained why you cannot keep clicking the same joint in quick succession. It takes approximately 20 minutes for the gas bubbles to reform. Knee crepitus can happen at any age, but it is more common as people get older. It can affect one or both knees. Crepitus is often harmless, but if it happens after a trauma or if there is pain and swelling, it may need medical attention. The kneecap rests in a groove of the thighbone, called the trochlea.
When a person bends or straightens their knee, the patella moves back and forth inside this groove. Two wedge-shaped or C-shaped pieces of cartilage between the thighbone and the shinbone are called the meniscus. These enable the bones to glide smoothly against each other. A thin layer of tissue — the synovial membrane — covers the joints and produces a small amount of synovial fluid.
This helps to lubricate the cartilage. The underside of the kneecap has a lining of cartilage. With abnormal wear, it can cause grinding and crepitus. There are various causes of crepitus. The popping sound usually comes from air seeping into the soft tissue, finding its way into the area around the joint and causing tiny bubbles in the synovial fluid. When a person bends or stretches their knees, the bubbles can burst with a popping or cracking sound. Sometimes, however, there is an underlying problem, for example, tissue damage or lesions.
In this case, treatment may be necessary. If there is pain as the knee snaps or catches, it can be because scar tissue, a meniscus tear, or a tendon is moving over a protruding bone within the knee joint. Pain or swelling can be a sign of a more serious problem, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome PFS , a tear in the cartilage or other soft tissue, or osteoarthritis OA. When the pressure between the kneecap and the femur is greater than usual, the cartilage in the joint can start to soften and wear away.
PFS can result from trauma or overuse. It is a common source of knee pain in young people and athletes. Rigorous exercise — such as jogging on an inclined surface, squatting, and climbing stairs — can put strain on the area between the femur and the kneecap joint. A sudden increase in physical activity, such as exercising more frequently, or running further or on rougher terrain than usual, can also cause it. Another risk factor for crepitus related to PFS is trauma to the knee.
This could be due to a fall or hitting the knee on the dashboard of a car in a road traffic accident. The individual may experience crepitus when climbing stairs or after sitting for a long time with the knees bent, as well as pain, swelling, puffiness, and stiffness.
Anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy exercises can also relieve it. If these do not help, splinting, surgery, or both may be necessary. They may help to realign part of the knee. To prevent this problem, anyone who is exercising or participating in sports should make sure they always use appropriate techniques, footwear, and equipment, and be sure to warm up before starting.
Knee crepitus is prevalent in women with patellofemoral pain, but is not related with function, physical activity and pain. Pazzinatto, M. Knee crepitus is not associated with the occurrence of total knee replacement in knee osteoarthritis — a longitudinal study with data from the osteoarthritis initiative.
Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 23 4 , What are the clinical implications of knee crepitus to individuals with knee osteoarthritis? An observational study with data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 23 6 , Robertson, C.
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 28, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. Song, S. Noise around the knee. Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery, 10 1 , 1. McCoy, G. Vibration arthrography as a diagnostic aid in diseases of the knee. A preliminary report. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume, B 2 , Clicking in knees is normally cavitation or crepitus What Causes Noisy Knees?
What Does the Research Say? References: De Oliveira Silva, D.
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