Knee Cracking and Popping (Knee Crepitus). Should You Be Worried?

Today’s video covers knee pain, cracking and popping, which is referred to as knee crepitus and the exercises you would implement to help resolve this issue. Cracking and popping sounds that come from the knee are typically associated with the patellofemoral joint, which is located just behind the kneecap.

Patellofemoral joint pain syndrome (PFPS) describes a very common condition in which a person experiences pain just behind the kneecap. Pain associated with this condition is usually reproduced with activities that put more stress on the joint, such as running, climbing stairs, squatting or prolonged sitting.

Successful treatment of this condition revolves around temporary behavior modification, such as reducing running mileage and avoiding periods of prolonged sitting. Incorporating exercises that strengthen the hip (glutes) and knee (quads) muscles is also important.

It is extremely important that people understand that noises from the knee are usually not associated with pathology and may actually be a sign of a healthy, well-lubricated joint. let’s be careful not to make people feel bad about their knee noise as it can negatively influence how they view their body!

So, if your knees are noisy and you don’t have pain, don’t worry about them. The noise is most likely due to the movement of fluid behind the kneecap and is not an indicator of a developing joint problem.

Reference: Robertson CJ, et al. People’s beliefs about the meaning of crepitus in patellofemoral pain and the impact of these beliefs on their behaviour: A qualitative study. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2017.

[livebythesworddiebytheswor]

My knees have always cracked since I was a young teenager.I am now 45 years old and my knees are absolutely fine 🙂👍

[mdevamazi]

This guy is legit, I’ve been following his exercises and in 3 days my pain has subsided and will continue doing and following him

[RobDaKid]

Thank you for answering the question quickly and then explaining further. I hate videos with 15-minute intros of filler that just circle the issue and don't actually say anything of value. This is the complete opposite and perfect for what I was looking for.

[romanbenedit]

I use to used to have same symptoms until I focused on strength training and over time I realized it went away . It was my ankles and knees . Focused on Glutes, Core and quads . Good video

[therez]

Thank you ! This is helpful information, my son of 11 years old have this knee pain and how many times I have took him to clinic they said no bone crack or whatever the doctors said it is a “growing pain “because sometimes the pain is moving up to his right arm ! I don’t know what to do than to always pray for him ..and I came across this and glad that a lot of people have the same situation and nothing serious to worry about..he can still run walk but sometimes when too much tired it will pains him and the crackling sound !

[awsheit]

I keep hyper extending my legs via really hard tensing of my quads and realized I was getting pain. You mentioning the glutes made all the sense in the world bc that's where my imbalance is too. Thank you!

[manbeastnone]

I'm 47 and I started working out when i was 43 due to health issues, and I became addicted to it, now I'm in the best shape of my life but I have developed some issues. I have a hip issue that comes and goes...along with a shoulder issue that's starting to heal. I do have popping in my left knee but it's no pain and I never had knee issues in my life. I chalked it up to being older. I realized I have to stretch and do warmup exercises, before I just went straight into my workout. I skip certain stretches cause it irritated my bicep tendons which caused my shoulder pain. I'm learning...I'm sort of new to the fitness industry.

[carolgardens]

Thank you for your video. I have had the cracking noises ever since I was 18 yrs old. I was 90 lbs then. Now, I am 70 and I hear the same sounds as I have always heard, but I do not experience any pain, soreness, or swelling in my knees. I very much appreciate your demonstration of stretching and strengthening exercises!

[alohV]

My knees grind any time I bend it, I was very active and in multiple sports including distance running and had to stop due to the knee pain, I’ve gone to doctor and physical therapists and they have yet to figure out what’s wrong, physical therapy actually worsened my knees and the popping became louder after. I’m only 18 and have been having knee problems since I was about 10, I never knew that this was an actual thing that other people went through, I’m glad to have stumbled across this video :) hope in my knees have been restored

[elsamkx]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge about this issue. I had really tough time searching about this theme and it was harder to understand why this is happening. 🙏🏼❤️

[JW-pomb]

Thank you for this video. I've been hearing popping with no pain and I've avoided leg exercises because of that. I was afraid that I would be making it worse.

[PARTHB]

I 've searched for the video which will counter this problem for years and now it suddenly popped up, so thankful for this .

[bettykasper]

Wow, can’t believe I found this video! Thank you so much for your expertise. I’ve been suffering with a crackling, popping knee for years. I even went to a very prominent orthopedic surgeon who did an x-ray on my knee and told me that it was all fine. Did not mention any information about how to strengthen my glutes and stretch quad, etc. This is brilliant! Going to keep working on stretching my quadriceps. I do a ton of Glute work but, tying this all together I hope will help.

[julieanngillitt]

Hello again. Thank you for your excellent videos. They are really helpful. Quick question: I have heard it said, in other courses, that a flat back, jack-knife-like, single leg squat is strengthening for the proximal hamstrings rather than the gluts. In these courses they advocate a squat with the neck and back flexed forwards to activate and strengthen the gluts. I'd be very interested to hear what you think about that. THANK YOU Julieann : ))

[katherinebergdahl]

I’m going to incorporate these exercises with my usual workouts. I’m very active all my life but I’ve had knee cracking/popping since I was 17. At that time I was diagnosed with a muscle imbalance but I’ve continued to have the sounds and intermittent pain for years since then

[marco]

You are such a valuable asset to the YouTube channel. Please keep sending us many more sensational videos like this one🙏

[mariacutshall]

WOW!! Thank you very much because I just had an injury and my knees are bothering me a lot. Blessings to you and your family program. 🇨🇴🇺🇸🙌💐💝

[JumpingWatermelons]

Whew, thanks. One thing in my life I can stop wondering and worrying about. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙌

[gilbertbrown]

Excellent information. I have popping and cracking from my knee but I'm not experiencing any pain. I'm 46 so I feel like that comes with age. I still workout 3x week and remain active.

[abazism]

Thank you so much for your clear explanation.