Why do my joints crack?
Sometimes the joints of the knees, legs and fingers crunch in the complete absence of any pathologies in the body. All joints are formed by the articular surfaces of bones and are enclosed in a special shell filled with articular fluid, which reduces friction and ensures normal gliding of bones. In addition, the joints have additional elements that act as natural shock absorbers during movement. All articular components are connected to each other by the ligamentous apparatus.
With various physical loads, stretching, displacement and vibration of the components of the joint occur. At these moments we hear an unpleasant noise, which in medicine is called crepitus. Thus, if your knees are crunchy, this is not always a sign of some kind of disorder in the body.
There is no need to wonder why joints crack during increased physical activity. Especially if we are talking about a child or teenager’s body. Some parts of the body may grow faster than others, and temporary imbalances may occur in the structure of joints. This is what most often causes the knees or fingers to crunch when bending in a teenager.
Why do my knees crack?
“ If the knee joints crack for this reason , no treatment is required. The first thing to do if clicking sounds and pain occur is to consult a therapist. He may refer you to a rheumatologist or orthopedic traumatologist. Since subsequent treatment will largely depend on the type of disease, the doctor will conduct diagnostics to determine the exact cause of the crunching in the knee joint: x-rays and ultrasound of the joint, certain laboratory tests and, if necessary, analysis of synovial fluid. If there is not enough natural lubrication in the joint, then creaking sounds appear when flexing and extending. A deficiency of synovial fluid is very dangerous, as friction increases and the menisci (cartilaginous plates) wear out over time. This leads to limited joint mobility and increased pain. The first thing to do in this case is to adjust your diet and give up bad habits. To increase the production of synovial fluid in the body, you need to eat more foods containing vitamins C, D, B2, B5 and B9, as well as hyaluronic acid and collagen. To provide the joint with the necessary amount of synovial fluid, diet alone is not enough. Be sure to do exercises after consulting with your doctor to choose the appropriate exercises. This will help speed up metabolic processes in the joints and they will crunch less or stop altogether. If your knee joints are cracking due to a severe lack of synovial fluid, your doctor may prescribe injections of synovial fluid substitutes, which are given directly into the joint. Treatment is carried out using sodium hyaluronate preparations. Already after the first administration of the drug, the articular cavity is provided with the necessary amount of synovium. The substance envelops cartilage and prevents friction of joint surfaces. The acid balance of the artificial substance is no different from the natural one, so it is not rejected by the body. Therapy with synovial fluid “prosthetic drugs” has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the joints. The following positive effects are observed: discomfort when walking and moving the legs disappears, further development of arthrosis stops, joint mobility improves, and the number of chondrocytes increases, which maintain the internal state of cartilage. There are many liquid implants containing hyaluronic acid . Which one is better is impossible to say. A different remedy is selected for each patient.”
How to get rid of crunching?
Only an experienced practicing surgeon or rheumatologist can make an accurate diagnosis and eliminate the cause of the unpleasant sound. Competent complex therapy will relieve unpleasant symptoms when the patient feels pain and hears the joints of the arms or legs crunching. Simple recommendations such as:
- moderate physical activity,
- normalization of weight and a healthy diet,
- comfortable orthopedic shoes.
A complete medical examination will eliminate the risk of developing a chronic disease and will give the patient confidence that the cracking in the joints for him is within the normal range acceptable for the physiological characteristics of the body.
Why do joints creak and crunch?
How “silent” are we? What can “clicks” or even an obvious “crunch” mean when we stand up, sit down or make any other movements? We are talking about this and much more today with the radiologist at MRI Expert Yelets, Alexander Sergeevich Tuleninov.
Alexander Sergeevich, please tell me, is crunching in the joints always an indicator of illness?
Joint crunch is not always a sign of pathology. It also happens in completely healthy people.
What can cause it in a healthy person?
The reasons are different. For example, the joint cavity contains a certain amount of gas, the bubbles of which burst when moving, which creates the sound of a “crunch” or “click.” It can also be caused by friction between ligaments and joints during movement. A distinctive feature of the crunch that occurs for these reasons is inconstancy, i.e. it is heard only occasionally and does not bother a person in any way.
What diseases can cause cracking joints?
This happens with diseases of a very different nature.
For example, the well-known “aging” of cartilage, a disruption in its “nutrition”, when it gradually loses its properties and becomes less smooth. In this case we are talking about arthrosis.
Another reason is trauma, including microtrauma, of the articular cartilage and the underlying bone.
An important and quite common cause is inflammation in the joint. The common name is arthritis. The reasons may be different: these are, in particular, autoimmune pathologies, when the body’s immune system begins to attack its own organs and tissues; microorganisms.
A crunch is also observed with a metabolic disease such as gout.
Finally, changes in the so-called joint capsules and tendons can also be accompanied by this symptom.
What other symptoms, besides crunching, should you pay attention to?
This can be a number of manifestations. Pain is a very common sign of trouble in a joint. Other symptoms: feeling of stiffness, aches, limitation of movements, redness of the skin over it, increased local temperature, swelling, change in shape.
Any of these symptoms should definitely attract attention and is a reason to consult a doctor.
Alexander Sergeevich, which specialist should a person contact if the signs you mentioned are noted?
First of all, see an orthopedist-traumatologist. He will conduct an examination and, if necessary, refer you to his colleagues, rheumatologists - they treat some joint diseases.
Can a person get tested on their own before seeing a clinician?
Yes maybe. However, it is more correct to first consult a doctor, since after conducting an examination, he will direct the patient to that additional study (or several studies) that will be most valuable in making a final diagnosis and prescribing treatment.
Please tell me what diagnostic methods are used for cracking joints? Is it possible to identify the most informative methods or can they complement each other?
The most comprehensive examination of joints is magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI for short. Why is that? The fact is that it can be used to evaluate various articular structures, i.e. cartilage, bone formations, ligaments, soft tissues. If for some reason it is impossible for a person to undergo an MRI (for example, there are contraindications), then a computed tomography or radiography can be done. However, an X-ray examination as a whole is somewhat less informative, since with it we “see” the cartilage and soft tissues less well. In this case, for To obtain additional information, it is possible to perform an ultrasound, but it must be remembered that not all joints can be effectively examined using ultrasound.
Separately, it is necessary to mention such methods as puncturing the joint (puncture) or examining it from the inside using special optical instruments (arthroscopy). These methods, unlike those mentioned above, are already invasive. In addition, they can also be used to treat the joint and perform operations on it.
Is it always possible to completely get rid of joint crunch during treatment?
Unfortunately no. Depending on the cause of the crunching, i.e. for a specific disease, treatment can slow down or stop its development, and in some cases even reverse the changes that have occurred to a certain extent. However, the crunching sensation can often persist. Therefore, do not ignore its appearance and consult a doctor as early as possible.
For reference:
Tuleninov Alexander Sergeevich
In 2014 he graduated from the Military Medical Academy named after S.M. Kirov in St. Petersburg with a degree in general medicine.
In 2021, he completed an internship in the specialty “radiology” at the Department of Medical Biophysics of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University.
Currently working as a radiologist at MRI Expert Yelets.
Why do my joints hurt?
The first thing you need to do is understand the cause of the pain in the joint.
If the day before you had active physical activity, including sudden movements of your arms or legs, if you fell or lifted weights, then most likely you have a sprain. Joint pain can also be a sign of a tendon rupture, dislocation or fracture of the head of the bone. In this case, you need to consult a traumatologist. The specialist will take an x-ray, accurately determine the cause of the pain and prescribe appropriate treatment.
If there was no injury before the onset of pain in the joints, but there are symptoms of the inflammatory process - redness of the skin, pain when palpating and moving the joint, swelling of the soft tissues, then the doctor you need is a therapist .
In our clinic, you can make an appointment with a chiropractor , who will prescribe the necessary laboratory tests, the results of which will allow you to make an accurate diagnosis. With all of the above symptoms, it could be rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or infectious lesions of joint tissue. To treat them, the doctor will prescribe you antibacterial agents, which are selected individually for each patient, taking into account the sensitivity of the pathogenic microflora.
If your symptoms are moderate joint pain, no signs of inflammation, deformity, limited movement and stiffness (especially after sleep and rest), then you also need to see a therapist . Most likely, you will be diagnosed with osteoarthritis deformans. Depending on the location of the pain, it can be coxarthrosis (hip joint), gonarthrosis (knee joint), or epicondylosis (elbow joint).
All these diseases belong to destructive-degenerative pathologies and require systemic long-term treatment aimed at restoring destroyed bone and cartilage tissue.
Which doctor treats leg joints?
The answer to the question of which doctor to consult if your leg joints hurt depends on additional symptoms and the nature of the pain experienced.
Pain in the joints of the legs can be associated with diseases such as ischalgia, arthritis, arthrosis, radicular syndrome against the background of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine, as well as with some other diseases of the lower extremities and spine.
Contact your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Orthopedist. Painful sensations in the hip joint that appear after physical activity
- Osteopath. Crunching and clicking when moving the legs, limited mobility, stiffness in the morning
- Chiropractor. Sharp pain when trying to sit down or bend the knee
- Vertebrologist. Pain in the buttocks extending to the hip joint
neurology manual therapy vertebrology leg diseases joint diseases hand diseases
Causes of the condition - safe and dangerous
Pain and crunching can be caused by both physiological causes and pathological factors. If your knee constantly crunches and swells or hurts, if you notice limited mobility in your leg, you need to consult a doctor - a specialist will refer you for an examination, determine the source of the crunch and prescribe therapy.
Common reasons include:
- Gonarthrosis is a condition in which the joint does not receive enough normal nutrition, which leads to dystrophic changes - the cartilage begins to collapse.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: the knees crunch and hurt when squatting or moving, the pain intensifies when touched, and the joints look swollen.
- Damage to the menisci. In this case, the knee will not only creak, but will also greatly disturb you - it will be very difficult to squat or even just walk. In this case, clicks will be heard while driving.
- Gouty arthritis. If uric acid metabolism is disrupted in the patient’s body, salts will be deposited in the joints, which causes clicking.
Crunching often signals a serious illness. What to do if your knees hurt and creak? Don't wait, but go to the clinic.
Clicking in the jaw
Sometimes it happens that when you open your mouth or chew, your jaw clicks. Many of those to whom this happens usually do not pay attention to the clicks. For the time being, until other more unpleasant symptoms appear.
Click mechanism
Actually, the click itself occurs when the articular surfaces in the temporomandibular joint slip. As you can guess from the name of this joint, it is formed by the head of the lower jaw and the temporal bone and is located in front of the ear. Normally, when chewing or opening the mouth, the articular surfaces slide smoothly relative to each other and no clicking occurs. Moreover, both the left and right joints should move symmetrically. When even a slight asymmetry in movement occurs, both joints are affected at once.
If dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint develops (disturbance in the relationship within the joint, ligaments and muscles), then smooth movement in the joint is not possible. The head moves incorrectly and does not immediately snap into place, causing a clicking sound.
Dysfunction often precedes arthrosis (damage to articular surfaces). With dysfunction, the joint itself may still be intact, but due to asymmetry, the surrounding muscles and ligaments are overstrained. The cause of dysfunction and subsequent arthrosis can be trauma to the jaw, as well as structural features of the jaw (for example, malocclusion), as well as improperly installed dentures and fillings.
When to worry
Crunching in the knee joint (crepitus) is not necessarily a symptom of a serious illness.
Often this is a fairly harmless phenomenon: while walking, air bubbles can form in the synovial fluid, they burst, and the knee crunches. This phenomenon is usually encountered by people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes such sensations in this part of the leg signal that not everything is in order in the body. For example, that bone structures rub against each other. Sometimes in such cases, after a crunch, the knee hurts and swells, but crepitus may remain the only symptom of the pathological process. Finally, crunching can be the result of injury or increased stress.
