One of the most annoying issues is the knee noise when walking, bending, and moving the legs. Cryptosis, medically known as knee cracking, is a common condition that most adults will experience at least once in their lives.
Many people are worried about hearing a creaking sound in their knees and don’t know how to fix this problem. You will get to know the reasons for knee noise during exercise or knee-knocking while walking. We invite you to stay with us until the end of this article.
Why does the knee make noise?
The knee is the largest joint in the human body and has a complex structure. The knee joint is the most likely to be injured. One of the knee problems is clicking and knocking when sitting, standing up, walking, and exercising.
To understand the reason for knee noises, you need to know that it is related to the change in the structure of the knee over time. With age, the knee’s cartilage loses its normal appearance and changes its shape.
In fact, the knee cartilage takes an asymmetrical shape. That is why, when walking, a special sound like a click is heard from the knee joint. Another reason for knee noise and knocking is the presence of gas bubbles around the knee joint. The burst of tiny air bubbles is one of the main causes of knee and ankle pain.
In most cases, knee sounds when standing up, sitting down, and moving the legs is a normal issue, and there is no need to worry about it. But when this issue becomes severe and the knocking sound of the knee is accompanied by pain, swelling, or emptying, you should see an orthopedic doctor.
There are so many specialist doctors in Dubai who will help you in treating your problem. Some of their treatments are the treatment of Bunionette in Dubai, treatment of Sesamoid Injuries, and treatment of Stress Fracture.
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What are the different types of knee noises?
Sometimes the noises are painless, and sometimes they start after a knee injury. All models of knee noises are not the same and have their own symptoms. That’s why you should first familiarize yourself with the different models of knee sounds.
Knee noise without pain and discomfort
Many people hear noise from their knees when they walk and move their legs, but they do not feel pain in this part! If your knees make noise when walking but you are not in pain, do not worry about the health of your knees.
Knee noise after knee joint injury
If the knees are damaged due to a fall, injury during sports or an accident, the movement of the knees is accompanied by noise and pain. The main reasons for knee noise in such conditions are the rotation and incorrect movement of the knee, which cause pain and discomfort. Some people who are runners may tear the meniscus of the knee due to intense running, which will cause cryptus (knee noise).
Knee noises without injury to the knee joint
Sometimes your knees have not been injured at all. But they make sounds due to certain diseases such as joint rheumatism, knee arthritis, soft patellar cartilage, etc.
Keep in mind that in such situations like this, you need to see skilled doctors in Dubai who can help you in treating your disease. Also, you can trust them in the treatment of some other diseases like treatment of Plantar Fasciitis, treatment of Stress Fracture, and treatment of Sesamoid Injuries.
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What is the reason for the infants’ kneeling noises?
Sometimes parents are worried about their baby’s creaking joints and seek to find the cause of the creaking sounds in their babies. The knee noise in babies is often caused by the tendon stretching on the bone and is not a worrying issue.
This issue will be resolved as the baby grows. But if you hear a special sound in your baby’s pelvis, it is best to take him to an orthopedic doctor to examine him and check for important issues such as congenital dislocation of the pelvis.
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How to diagnose knee problems?
As we mentioned, knee noise without pain and swelling is not considered a special problem, and you don’t need to worry about anything. But if you hear a knocking sound from your knees while walking, moving your legs, exercising, etc., and this is associated with movement problems in your legs, pain, swelling, and knee stiffness, it is very important to see a specialist immediately.
In fact, if the knocking of the knee is due to a problem in the structure of the knee, every time you move and move your legs, the damage to your knee joint will increase.
When you go to the doctor, he will consider the right treatment solution for you to quickly eliminate the knocking sound and knee cracking. Numbness in the leg, inability to move the leg, severe pain in the knee, inability to stand or walk, hearing a popping or cramping sound in the knee, and changes in the shape of the knee are among the warnings that you should take seriously.
The orthopedic doctor first examines your knees and diagnoses your problem according to your medical history. Then he would choose the appropriate treatment method. Your doctor will probably check blood tests, X-ray images, or MRI scans of your knee joints to diagnose problems with your knees. It may also be necessary to send some of the synovial fluid from your knees to the laboratory for further examination.
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What are the causes of knee noises?
Among the most important factors in causing the knocking sound in the knee, the following are the most common ones:
Gas bubbles
The most important reason for your knees noises is the accumulation of gas bubbles inside the knee joint. When these bubbles burst, a knocking sound can be heard from the knee.
Air bubbles in the knee may occur due to pressure changes in the knee joint. That is, when you walk or move your legs, a tendon or ligament is stretched too much, and this is what causes the sound. In medical science, this phenomenon is called “cavitation,” which is not considered dangerous for the joint and should not be worried about.
Deformation of the knee cartilage
Knee cartilage changes shape over time. As a result of aging, the appearance of the cartilage becomes asymmetrical, and as a result, you will hear the knee cramp when standing or squatting.
Runner’s knee
Runner’s knee syndrome, or patellar pain, is one of the issues that cause noise under the patella. This unpleasant issue is more common for people who like to run.
Tight ligaments
A ligament is a tissue that connects one bone to the adjacent bone. When the knee ligament gets cramped due to the sudden movement of the legs, a special sound is heard from the knee joint.
Knee arthritis
With age, the probability of knee arthritis increases. Arthritis of the knee causes the cartilage at the end of the bone to thin and the outer surface of the bone to be destroyed. As a result, as the bones rub against each other, a special sound is heard from the knee joint, which is accompanied by pain.
Knee tendon injury or tear
If the sound of the knee is loud when bending and walking, and if you see swelling of the knee joint, your knee ligaments and tendons are damaged.
Abrasion between the patella and femur
Another reason for knee pain is excessive wear and tear between the patella and the femur, which is known in medical science as “chondromalacia patella”. This problem is more common in athletes who run a lot. If your knees start to sound after regularly playing sports such as football, running, or tennis, it is best to keep this in mind.
Meniscus tear of the knee
The menisci of the knee are cartilaginous rings similar to the letter C in the English language, which are placed on both sides of the knee and facilitate the smooth movement of the knee. A sudden twist of the knee or pressure on the knee causes a tear of the knee meniscus. A meniscus tear is also considered a sports injury and is associated with knee pain and swelling.
Hip dislocation
When the knee bones move out of their original place, the surrounding ligaments are also torn, and the kneecap is displaced. As a result, with the movement of the legs and bending, an annoying sound is heard from the knee.
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How to prevent knee noises?
Inactivity and not using your leg muscles will weaken your muscles, and you will suffer from knee and foot pain. If you strengthen the muscles around the knee, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and other muscles around it, you can prevent knee and ankle sprains.
Thigh stretching while standing, lunging, massaging the front of the thigh with a foam roller, strengthening the thigh, squatting, leg muscle stretching, and physiotherapy are among the best ways to strengthen the knee and prevent knee pain.
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How to treat knee noises?
There are many methods to treat knee pain. Among the best of these methods, the following can be mentioned:
Reducing pain and swelling of the foot with ice
One of the best ways to reduce knee pain and swelling is to rest your knees and put ice on them. Then keep your legs up. Repeat this cycle for several days.
Using elastic bandages
By using elastic bandages, you will put some pressure on your knee joint and prevent further swelling and bleeding.
Use of anti-inflammatory drugs
Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen will reduce your pain.
Strengthening the knee with stretching exercises
Physiotherapy and stretching exercises will strengthen your quadriceps and hamstring muscles and reduce the knocking sound of the knee.
Knee orthopedic surgery
If the knee joint problem is due to a meniscus tear, anterior cruciate ligament tear, or medial collateral ligament tear, the specialist will probably suggest you have knee surgery.
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What is the best way to treat knee noises?
Suppose you want the knocking sound in your knees to be treated definitively and not to be bothered about this issue anymore. In that case, you should be careful in choosing an orthopedic doctor and choose the best knee subspecialist for treatment. Because the knee specialist first examines your knees thoroughly and chooses the best treatment method for you according to your physical condition.
The worst thing to do to treat knee noise is arbitrary treatments without a doctor’s supervision. It leads to more serious problems and dangerous complications. For this reason, if your knees make noise and you have knee pain, we recommend you see a knee specialist doctor so that your problem can be solved as soon as possible and your knees are not damaged further.