intensitylisa
Cathlete
Lately, it seems like all the time when I walk or stand my knees crack. Could any of you tell me what is causing this and what is could be?;(
Snap, Crackle, Pop!
- Thread starter intensitylisa
- Start date
Lately, it seems like all the time when I walk or stand my knees crack. Could any of you tell me what is causing this and what is could be?;(For me, my knees popping was a sign that my knees were getting damaged. After dealing with this for YEARS and having increasing pain I finally went to an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed me with patellar femural syndrome (where the knees don't track right in the groove on the femur). I had surgery and it made a huge difference but I still crack from time to time.
Do you have any pain from the cracking or is it more annoying? Do you find that it happens at a certain time of day (like upon waking or after being seated for an extended time) or is it all the time? Do you find that it happens more in warm, humid weather than in cooler, drier weather (my knees are better at assessing the barometric pressure than any weather person :7 )? Have you changed anything in your workout routine or are you wearing different shoes? As you can see there could be many explanations for it and most of them are completely benign.
I would suggest tracking your knees and the popping. Also, make sure that you are getting plenty of water, especially with summer here, as it will help maintain the proper sunovial fluid levels in your joints. Finally, you may want to consider taking glucosamine/chondroitin supplements (I have been taking these for about 3 years now and swear by them). If it becomes worse, becomes painful, or starts to hamper mobility I would recommend getting it check out by an orthopedist.
Good luck to you!
Sabine
Do you have any pain from the cracking or is it more annoying? Do you find that it happens at a certain time of day (like upon waking or after being seated for an extended time) or is it all the time? Do you find that it happens more in warm, humid weather than in cooler, drier weather (my knees are better at assessing the barometric pressure than any weather person :7 )? Have you changed anything in your workout routine or are you wearing different shoes? As you can see there could be many explanations for it and most of them are completely benign.
I would suggest tracking your knees and the popping. Also, make sure that you are getting plenty of water, especially with summer here, as it will help maintain the proper sunovial fluid levels in your joints. Finally, you may want to consider taking glucosamine/chondroitin supplements (I have been taking these for about 3 years now and swear by them). If it becomes worse, becomes painful, or starts to hamper mobility I would recommend getting it check out by an orthopedist.
Good luck to you!
Sabine
intensitylisa
Cathlete
My knees are not painful. It seems to happen when I first stand up and then walk. It is more annoying than anything. I just wondered if it is a sign of aging, I am 38, or an extensive exercise history of stepping at 8 inches. At one time I had to lower my step height to 4 inches because my knees just could not take it anymore, (also at that time I weighed 15 lbs more than I do now). I have continued with the lower step height because of my knees. My knee was also inflammed about 2 months ago because of the continous leg work (squats) and I believe my knee was going over my toe (improper form). I have since corrected this problem. Thanks for your help. It is very much appreciated!suzannaerin
Cathlete
caution
Hi - My PT told me that cracking/popping knees are fine UNLESS you have pain associated with the noise. I recently recovered from a knee tracking problem and I want to give you just a little unsolicited advice that you can or leave, if you want. I was doing step for several years and doing standing leg work that focused mainly on squatting and lunging. All of this resulted in a muscle inbalance where my outer quads were huge and the inner side of my quads (vastus medialis) were tiny in comparison. Consequently, my knee was being pulled off track. I went to PT and got exercises that focused on building the entire quad. Also, I do floor work -- either Pure Strength or the Lower Body Pyramid segments---twice a week with my PT exercises. Since I recovered, I limit my standing leg work to only once a week and I don't go heavy & keep my work to three sets of no more than 12 reps. No more "endurance" squating or lunging for me. In addition, I've cut out step entirely and am cross training with an elliptical, spinning bike, and rowing machine. I also do pilates a couple times a week. It took about six weeks or so for my knee woes (it was a clicking sensation in just my right knee--no pain but I could tell something was wrong in there) to resolve itself. While I feel rather confident that I can go back to stepping and high impact video workouts, I'm going to stick to my cross training, low impact cardio from now on. I turned 40 in February, so I'm worried about my joint health in the future. (yes, I'm thinking about selling all of my Cathe cardio videos and DVDs, something I never thought I'd consider doing!!!)
Make sure you cross train, strengthen your all the muscles in your legs, and listen to your body. I highly recommend you buy Jennifer Rhodes' book (I can't remember the title). It's EXCELLENT and explains all about how improper body alignment causes many athletic injuries. Floor work will be your salvation, too.
Take care, Suzanne
Hi - My PT told me that cracking/popping knees are fine UNLESS you have pain associated with the noise. I recently recovered from a knee tracking problem and I want to give you just a little unsolicited advice that you can or leave, if you want. I was doing step for several years and doing standing leg work that focused mainly on squatting and lunging. All of this resulted in a muscle inbalance where my outer quads were huge and the inner side of my quads (vastus medialis) were tiny in comparison. Consequently, my knee was being pulled off track. I went to PT and got exercises that focused on building the entire quad. Also, I do floor work -- either Pure Strength or the Lower Body Pyramid segments---twice a week with my PT exercises. Since I recovered, I limit my standing leg work to only once a week and I don't go heavy & keep my work to three sets of no more than 12 reps. No more "endurance" squating or lunging for me. In addition, I've cut out step entirely and am cross training with an elliptical, spinning bike, and rowing machine. I also do pilates a couple times a week. It took about six weeks or so for my knee woes (it was a clicking sensation in just my right knee--no pain but I could tell something was wrong in there) to resolve itself. While I feel rather confident that I can go back to stepping and high impact video workouts, I'm going to stick to my cross training, low impact cardio from now on. I turned 40 in February, so I'm worried about my joint health in the future. (yes, I'm thinking about selling all of my Cathe cardio videos and DVDs, something I never thought I'd consider doing!!!)
Make sure you cross train, strengthen your all the muscles in your legs, and listen to your body. I highly recommend you buy Jennifer Rhodes' book (I can't remember the title). It's EXCELLENT and explains all about how improper body alignment causes many athletic injuries. Floor work will be your salvation, too.
Take care, Suzanne