Although very strong, your knee joint can only bend in one direction. This makes it highly susceptible to dislodging if it is sprained or bumped while playing sports, lifting heavy objects or engaging in other daily physical activities, or during an accident.
Crackling in the knee can be very annoying because in most cases it is accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- Pain, especially when trying to move the knee joint
- Weakness or instability of the affected knee
- A closing or catching sensation
- Bruising and swelling, especially after injury or trauma
The initial pop that you may hear or feel is actually the sound of a ligament or cartilage tearing. It is also possible for a small piece of torn cartilage to float inside the knee joint, and this can cause not only a popping, but also a snapping or snapping sensation every time the knee joint is moved.
Particularly for athletes, hearing or feeling a pop in the knee is often upsetting — most of the time, it’s like a death sentence in their career.
Just because you don’t exercise doesn’t mean you’re immune to knee popping. Experts say that anyone of any age is at risk of developing a crackling knee as it can be blamed on a variety of risk factors such as:
- Being born with deformities of the knee joint, which can cause faster damage to the soft tissues of the joint
- Having naturally less durable cartilage or less flexible ligaments
- Wear and tear of the soft tissues of the knee joint due to overuse or the natural aging process
Let’s now look at some of the most common causes of cracking knees:
Osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
There are actually more than a hundred different types of arthritis, the two most common being osteoarthritis (wear and tear of cartilage) and rheumatoid arthritis (arthritis caused by the immune system), both of which can affect the knee joint. Other than pain, swelling, and stiffness, crackling may also be a symptom.
Dissecans of osteoarthritis
Simply put, OCD or OCD is a joint condition characterized by the death and separation of the protective cartilage at the end of the bone from the bone itself as a result of reduced blood flow. No one really knows the exact cause of osteochondritis dissecans and it’s more common in children and teens.
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
Also called an anterior cruciate ligament injury for short, it is something commonly associated with those who play fast-paced or high-impact sports. However, anyone can develop an ACL injury, too. Basically, it involves an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, which is the ligament that connects the femur, or thigh bone, and thus prevents your shin from flying forward every time you walk or run.
Meniscus injury
At your knee joint there are two pairs of cartilage referred to as mensici (singular: meniscus) and they are tasked with absorbing shock or shock to the knee. If you hear a doctor tell someone they have a torn meniscus in their knee, the doctor is actually referring to a meniscus injury. Your knee may lock, hang, or give way if you have this type of injury.
Patellar dislocation
Experts refer to it as a patellar subluxation, but everyone calls it a patellar luxation. Just like what the name says, it is to move the kneecap or kneecap out of place, usually to the side. Some of the most common causes of patellar subluxation are a direct blow to the knee that can force the kneecap out of place, twisting of the knee joint and weakness of the calf muscles that can cause the knee joint to move incorrectly.