snap crackle and pop knees

B

bunny girl

Active Member
Lately I have noticed that my left knee is crackling like crazy. With every squat, lunge (especially when that knee is back on the lunge) and jump it makes a racket. I am paranoid to go to the doctor because I am afraid that his response will be either A. stay off of it or B. surgery. NO WAY on both!!!! I know that sounds silly but does anyone else have this problem and is it really a problem? It doensn't hurt at all, just makes a horrible cracking noise. I am only 35, will it get a lot worse? What causes this and is there anything I can do to fix it? Surgery really scares me because I have heard that once you have knee surgery you are never the same again. I can't stand the thought of being without my Cathe!!!
Any advice would be great!
 
Kat,

I have the same problem and would be curious to see what the responses are. I really notice mine when I am climbing the stairs.

Lea
 
Not Cathe, but I will tell you from my experience I had major knee surgery 3 months ago to fix the "snap crackle and pop" and the best thing to do is to see a Dr. The Dr might direct you to work with a PT who can assist with the issue. The worst thing you can do is ignore the knee pain.
 
Thanks for the link! Very interesting. Like I said, it doesn't hurt, it is just noisy. However, I agree with the other response who said that it is bad to ignore pain. When and if it does start to hurt I guess I will have no choice but to go to the doctor. I just watched my husband have three knee surgeries in the past year on the same problem. It was never fixed and actually the repeated surgeries made it worse. He ended up having a partial knee replacement and can't do ANY running or jumping (which leaves out most of Cathe's workouts :(). I know that is not the norm but it still scares me.
 
Hi Kat,
Just as a reminder, Cathe has had surgery on her knee, and she seems to still be able to do her workouts :)
 
My knees make a lot of racket. I was in two car accidents in a month's time back in 1996, my knees hit the dash and they've been "talking to me" ever since. I went through physical therapy, and had problems with them for awhile. A friend of mine was in PT at the same time I was except he was in REALLY bad shape, he had just had cartiladge replacement in his knees. He told me unless my knees were causing me so much pain i couldn't live with it, don't get surgery. So I never got surgery. I still have some problems with my knees though. Now I use chopat straps when I excercise (you can get them at a medical supply store) and i just got custom made arch supports. So far so good, I'll have to see what happens with time. i just don't want to get surgery unless it's absolutely necessary.

ashley
 
I'm 35, too, and my right knee has been making noise for years now. It's probably just cartilage. I feel as long as there's no pain, there's no reason to baby it. Squats and lunges are good exercises as they strengthen the muscles around the knees. As long as you're careful about your form, exercising shouldn't cause any problems. Good luck!
 
I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one with noisy knees! Mine don't hurt at ALL either, but they can be very noisy. Good to know that it's not a problem, as long as it's pain free noise. :)

m.
 
Not to knock any of the sound advice you've gotten so far, but while you're waiting for your doc to have an appointment time available, try doing your squats with a narrower stance. That will help engage your teardrop (muscle of quad right above your knee on the inner side) which may be causing some of the racket.
 
I have noisy knees, too. I also have some knee pain, but the two don't seem to be related. It seems that when I have the pain, I don't have the popping, and vice versa.

I know why I have the knee pain: I have a minor curvature in my spine that makes one leg a wee bit longer than the other, putting pressure on the knee joints. My spine also twists slightly, which causes the bones in my legs and ankles to also move to try to compensate for the twist. This also causes me some knee and ankle pain as the bones don't want to come together properly at the joints.

This is more common than you might think, and I can tell you from experience that a good chiropractor who knows how to adjust the back as well as the knee and ankle joints can keep you up and exercising, and away from the Operating Room. Before seeking out a surgeon, I recommend consulting a chiropractor if you experience knee pain. It might take you talking to a few (and getting a few adjustments from each) to find the right one for you, but it's well worth it. I speak from lots of experience! And, if the chiro thinks you need surgery, then you REALLY do! Chiros don't recommend surgery unless they're sure it's necessary.
 
That is great advice! I didn't even think about the spine relation, but you are right so much of our body functions from our alignment. I will call one next week. Thanks!!!
 
Yep. Everything's connected to the spine. If the bones of the spine are out of whack, then other bones in your body are, too.

It might take you some time to find the right chiropractor. I've been through many (mostly because I've moved a lot in the past 10 years), but I can honestly say that right now I'm seeing the best chiro I've ever seen. He knows his stuff! So, don't be discouraged if you're not happy with the first one you see...go to another one until you find the right fit for you. It makes me think of aerobic shoes...you can try on one pair after another and finally on the 10th pair, you find the one that works! :)
 
Hey there,

My knees make all kinds of sounds - along with my ankles and shoulders. I have always been very active my entire life, dancing, working out, etc. I just kind of attribute it to that and don't dwell too much on it. It's a part of being me that I just accept. Like you, I don't have any pain - just noise! I just ignore it and everything has been fine for about the past 20 years or so that it has been going on. If I ever start to have pain, I will begin to pay attention and get some medical advice. Hopefully, that day will never come.
 
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