Popping sound in knee
Do you feel a popping sound in your knees and this worries you?
What is the reason for the sound of the knee?
Is popping sound of the knee serious and dangerous?
What are some ways to treat and eliminate knee pain?
Read more if you also want to know more about knee joint sound.
What you will read next:
Introduction
Sometimes people feel the sound of being crushed and exploding as they bend and straighten their knees.
Sometimes there is only a ringing in the knee or the so-called cryptocurrency and there are no other symptoms beside it.
It is said that in most cases where there is a sound of the knee, there is no serious issue.
Do not worry if you experience popping sound in the knee joint and this sound is not accompanied by swelling, pain or reduced range of motion or locking or instability of the knee. In these cases, treatment will not be needed.
But if you have a popping sound in the knee or a feeling of something bursting in the knee and you feel that it is accompanied by pain, swelling and reduced range of motion or locked or emptied knee, in these cases you should take the issue seriously and be sure to see a doctor.
Knee joint anatomy
knee is a large joint that is formed by the juxtaposition of three bones in the lower part of the femur, the upper part of the tibia and the patella.
We should also say that above the knee is the end of the femur. There are two large protrusions called the condyles of the thigh.
There is a groove between the two condyles at the end of the femur. This groove is very important because the patella is located in front of it.
Any misalignment here can cause pain. There is a tibia below the knee that is articulated with the condyles of the femur above.
The bones are covered with articular cartilage at the junction. The patella must move up and down the groove described above when bending the knee joint. Let's see what causes knee joint sounds.
What causes knee popping?
If you do not have knee pain and your knees sound like crunches and bubbles burst, it is probably for one of the following reasons that these sounds occur:
Cavitation refers to the bursting of bubbles during bending and straightening of the joint.
Between all the bone surfaces in the joints of the body there is a joint sac in which there is a fluid called joint fluid. Inside this fluid are gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide, As the bone surfaces adjacent to the joint diverge, the joint space increases and the pressure decreases, and these gases change from a liquid state to a gas bubble.
When we straighten the knee, the volume of the joint space decreases, the pressure rises and these bubbles burst.
Popping occurs when the bubbles burst, which is not accompanied by swelling and pain.
- Abrasion of tendons and ligaments
The tendons and ligaments that participate in bending and straightening the knee may be stretched too much and make a sound when released, or they may be stretched with the bone and cartilage and make a sound.
Or these soft tissues of the joint, ie tendons and ligaments, rub against the ridges of adjacent bones during knee movements. This movement, along with sudden jumps from the ridges, causes noise.
Is popping sound in the knee joint always considered a disease?
We have to say that it is wrong to say that there are serious illnesses and problems just because of the sounds we hear from the knees.
As long as the popping sound of the knee is not accompanied by one of the following, you should not worry:
- the pain
- Inflation
- Knee Locking
- Heat and inflammation
- Discoloration of the skin
- Instability of the knee joint
What causes knee popping with symptoms such as pain?
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The first cause
Patellofemoral pain syndrome, Runner’s knee syndrome is one of the most common causes of popping sound in knee in adolescents and young adults. The prevalence of this disorder is higher in girls than in boys. This is due to a problem with the joint surface below the patella, meaning that the groove between the two condyles at the end of the thigh, where the patella bone goes up and down, has a problem.
In some people, this displacement is performed inappropriately. In this syndrome, the role of pain is more dominant and prominent than popping sound in knee.
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Degenerative inflammation of the knee joint
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Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee joint wear
Are among the most common causes of knee discomfort in middle-aged and older people, with age, because the knee bears a lot of human weight and pressure throughout life, the knee joint loses its natural structure and becomes striated and lost its previous ability. Adjacent cartilage to compensate for lost cartilage ability may make changes, become inflamed, or cause abnormal bone growths.
Joint instability, Pain, Discomfort, Reduced range of motion, Swelling and popping in the knee joint and locking and instability of the knee are common symptoms experienced by people with osteoarthritis.
When should we see a doctor with popping sound of the knee?
popping sound of the knee is accompanied by pain and it is difficult for these people to straighten their knees, they should consider this condition as a serious warning and be sure to see a doctor to determine the cause of the serious injury to the knee joint.
- Inflation
- Limiting the range of motion of the knee
- Instability of the knee
- Knee lock
Other causes of knee popping:
- Ligament ruptures and problems:
Ligaments are strong soft tissues that hold bones together. In humans, collateral ligament ruptures inside the knee are more common than rupture of the external collateral ligament, but because of the outside of the knee has a more complex anatomical structure, If damage to the tendon and external ligament of the knee occurs, it is usually accompanied by damage to other components, such as the joint capsule and other ligaments.
And most of the time it requires surgery.
The menisci are actually two disc-like plates in the kneecap that are made up of thick cartilaginous tissue.
They act as shock absorbers. Ruptures and injuries of the meniscus of the knee can be accompanied by tearing of part of the bone and cartilage.
treatment
For people whose knee sounds are not accompanied by any other symptom, no special treatment is needed, but for other types of knee problems that are accompanied by pain and other manifestations of knee popping, the following is recommended:
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The first step is to improve your lifestyle
Proper nutrition, losing extra weight and increase physical activity, not using toilets where the knee bends and improving sitting posture.
In the next step, the use of painkillers should be recommended as a treatment for the acute phase of pain. The use of painkillers is not the main treatment, it can only reduce the acute phase.
Use cold or hot compresses, keep the knee at a higher position, Rest and tie the knee with a bandage temporarily in the acute phase of pain.
The important point is that only in the acute phase, knee braces or braces are used. As soon as the pain subsides, these knee fixing factors should be discarded so as not to make the knee joint more unstable due to weakening of the muscles and ligaments that support the knee.
As soon as you can get over the acute pain, some gradual knee movements should be resumed for normal knee recovery. Knee physiotherapy is very important to strengthen the muscles.
Proper physical activity in the treatment of knee pain is important, it is recommended that the person should walk for at least 15 minutes across the water pool. Walking is the second option in the treatment of knee pain. Walking on a flat surface and cycling do not put pressure on the knees.
What can we do to prevent knee popping?
In order to prevent noise in your knees from today, you must reduce the pressure on your knee over time.
Other stages of treatment, if the above two steps fail, will include the above, in addition to injections into the joint space, and finally surgeries appropriate to the underlying cause.
prevention
Avoid sitting on both knees, as well as avoid going up and down stairs and walking on uneven sloping surfaces.
In 50% of cases, with the above issues, the popping sound of the knee decreases. When there are more serious problems, doctors turn to other methods. If medications and lifestyle changes do not help, the use of prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs with prescription injections into the joint space and finally surgery can be used.
And the last point is that walking on smooth and straight surfaces without unevenness and also running softly and slowly on standard surfaces is very useful to maintain the health of the human knee.