Does your knee click or crack and pop like mine has in the past?

The technical term for this is ‘Crepitus’ and this a very common condition or symptom i hear of from clients in my clinic.

It relates to the kneecap and the joint behind the kneecap , the ‘patella-femoral’ joint. The popping or cracking is related to a change in pressure within that joint. 

Generally, people are worried or bothered by these noises and even socially feel awkward for others to hear their knees crack. Individuals might assume there’s something wrong with their knee , however, research has found that the complaint is not associated with pathology or any musculoskeletal problems. 

Pay attention, though, if there is prominent pain present when your knee pops or cracks, or if you’ve had a recent injury or some type of trauma which results in correlating new audible noises within the joint, possibly getting worse over time. In this situation, special tests can be performed, within the clinic, to give a clearer indication as to whether there is a tear in the meniscus or Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Positive tests would result in a referral for a scan.

[Meniscus: a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber within the knee joint]

[ACL: Anterior Cruciate Ligament – a ligament that helps stabilise the knee joint. The ACL connects the thigh-bone (Femur) to the shinbone (tibia) – most commonly , tears occur during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction, such as football, basketball, tennis or volleyball].