Parade: If You Notice Your Knees Making This Sound, See a Doctor ASAP

Parade recently interviewed Clint Soppe, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics, about crepitus, a popping or crunching sound created in the joints during movement.

Around 41% of people experience crepitus in their knees, but the condition also can occur in other joints, including the shoulders, elbows and neck. The sound is caused by air bubbles releasing in the lubricating fluid around the joints, or by arthritis or cartilage damage from an injury.

Soppe told Parade crepitus is a normal sound “similar to popping knuckles.”

Although knee crepitus can be more common in older people, he said he also has seen young adults with knees that pop or crunch when they’re bending down.

Soppe told Parade knee crepitus can sometimes signal osteoarthritis, a more serious condition in which the loss of cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other during movement.

“When we get arthritis, the sound is made when bone rubs on bone,” he said.

Soppe told Parade crepitus usually is “nothing to worry about, as long as it’s not painful and it’s not an indication that your joint is degenerating or you’re wearing out the cartilage.”

Those who have pain or stiffness with their creaking joints, have trouble walking, or feel their knee may buckle or collapse should see a doctor. Discomfort often can be managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Physical therapy also can help improve mobility in the joint and reduce inflammation.

Click here to read the complete article from Parade.