Clicking knee refers to the sound that you hear when you move your knee joint to move your lower leg. You may want to kick a ball or move some furniture around and there you hear it: a loud click. This sound is primarily due to the excessive build up of gases in the knee cavity. If the clicking of the knee is accompanied by a momentary sharp pain, it may signal the onset of arthritis related problems in you.
A clicking knee is one of the early warning signals that your body gives out to indicate a degeneration of the knee joints. There are some related symptoms that your knee gives out to confirm the diagnosis. Such symptoms may include the feeling that the knee joint is tender; in some cases the knee joint may experience a minor degree of stiffness. We usually put down these symptoms to minor causes and use localized heat treatments to find relief from the symptoms. This causes the problems to persist. The key therefore, is to get appropriate specialist medical advice once you find that the knee clicks frequently.
One of the best ways to control the problem of a clicking knee is by avoiding sudden and jerky movements. It also goes without saying that you should avoid all sports that put a heavy stress on the knee joints. Swimming is one activity that you can safely continue as the water does not stress your joints. Walking is good if it is for short distances and on either a paved road or level ground. It would be absolutely great if you found a place with grass on it. Grass has a terrific cushioning effect and places the least stress on your joints.
Another important thing to remember is to stop carrying heavy weights around. You may not think much of carrying a heavy bag of groceries around the block, but it definitely is going to have an adverse effect on your clicking knee problem. The advancements in medical science have made this problem manageable provided you seek assistance at the right time.
Physiotherapy is another treatment methodology that has shown encouraging results in solving the problems related to the clicking knee joints. A physiotherapist will scan your knee muscles and identify those that are weak and therefore do not support the joint properly. These muscles will be strengthened by targeting them with specific sets of exercises. This treatment methodology has an advantage in that it does not require the patient to undergo any invasive procedures. This helps in a faster recovery from the problem.
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Hello Maheshtj,
Generally if the cracking is increasing and also causing you pain, then this is likely to be the wrong course of action for you. In trusth, there are dozens of possible causes for cracking noises. When there is pain, it shows that something is wrong and needs further investigation. As you have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis, this is most likely the cause. Basically, the lining of your knee is either becoming worn or it has worn abnormally. However, Cricket is well known for creating severe stresses on your joints. Normally these are confined to your hands and elbows which absorb the greatest shock from catching and batting.
Exercises can help where the are muscular weaknesses that have led to excessive stress on your joints. This is usually 2 fold, you need to get your alignment correct and only then start strengthening your muscles. There is a risk that you will cause abnormal wear patterns unless your alignment is correct.
I would recommend an Osteopath to help address postural issues. The synoval fluid that lubricates your joints also decreases with age. This can be reversed in a number of ways. Ironically, this fliud actually relies on movement to lubricate the joints as they are fairly dense and without movement the fluid can’t circulate. You need to gently move your knee joints, but avoid anything that causes pain and the Gym may be too much at the minute. Haluronic acid is a supplement that has been shown to increase synoval fluid. This can be via injections via an Osteopath or alternatively, Nature’s Sunshine has a supplement called Everflex which contains this.
You need to check the formulation as this varies by country. In some regions this is taken out to comply with local legislation.
Hope this is useful.
Steve
Dear Doctor,
Iam 40 years old now born in 13/08/1970 iam 55 kgs of weight and a regular exercise enthusiast
Iam suffering from osteoarthiritis for the past 2 years after i played some weekend cricket for some 3 months.
Iam going to gym for the same to strengthen my thigh and calf muscles.
But off late my knee craking has increased and today it pains a lot for me.
My doctor says that as i continue going to the gym the cracking nosie will come down.
Is this correct kindkly help me in solving my craking of my knees.
it would be of great help if you could answer this.
kind regards,
maheshtj