Why is My Knee Making Crunching Sounds?

As you get older, your joints can start to get kind of noisy. Knee joints often begin to produce noise when moved. The medical term for popping or crunching noises in your knee joint is “crepitus.” Crepitus is a common condition. When should you be worried about crepitus, and could it be an early sign of problems that could result in chronic knee pain or dysfunction?

At Florida Pain Management Institute, Dr. Adam Shestack and our team of pain management experts support your joints at every point in your life. Whether you’re an active athlete or an aging senior, we give your knee joints the attention they need to keep moving smoothly and without pain. 

We provide extensive treatment for knee pain and other problems from our locations in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Noisy knees might need to be checked out at the location nearest you.

Crepitus: noise from your knee joints

If you have crepitus, your knee may make popping, crunching, or crackling sounds when bending and straightening. This may happen when you stand, squat, crouch, or walk downstairs.

The noise comes from the cartilage in your knee. You need cartilage, a resilient, elastic type of natural tissue, to help your joint move smoothly and without harmful friction. In most of the joints in your body, cartilage covering the ends of bones is key for joint function.

Sometimes, joint movement results in cartilage rubbing against the joint surface or neighboring soft tissues, producing cracking or popping sounds in the process. That’s what you hear in your knee. Crepitus is most likely to affect your patellofemoral joint, which connects your knee cap and the femur bone in your thigh.

Getting older affects the quality and sometimes quantity of cartilage in your joints. Wear-and-tear and conditions like arthritis can deplete your cartilage. If your cartilage is roughening or depleted in your knee joint, crepitus results.

Crepitus and knee trouble

When you start to notice unusual sounds coming from your knee joint, it makes sense to ensure that your knees are strong and healthy. Often, crepitus isn’t connected to any specific problems. Sometimes, your knees just get noisy! If you don’t have other symptoms like knee pain, your crepitus probably isn’t a cause for concern.

However, crepitus can also signal developing problems in your knee joint, such as a meniscus tear or a bone spur. Early treatment or intervention can often save you from more extensive knee trouble, so it’s worth getting your knees checked out if you’re worried about symptoms like crepitus occurring together with knee pain.

Get in touch with the team at Florida Pain Management Institute if you have crepitus as well as knee pain, fluid in the affected knee joint, or other concerning symptoms. We evaluate your knee’s condition and recommend any needed treatments to keep this important joint working well. Imaging exams like X-rays help us learn more about what’s going on with your knee.

You may benefit from treatments like viscosupplementation injections, available through the Florida Pain Management Institute. This type of therapy restores lubrication in knee joints with damaged or worn-down cartilage. Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around your knee joint can also help you avoid more serious knee trouble in the future.

If you’re concerned that noises coming from your knee joint may indicate the presence of an underlying problem, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Shestack and the Florida Pain Management Institute team. Schedule your initial consultation appointment online or over the phone today.