A: Bones and joints can make grinding, creaking, clicking, popping and other noises, which can occur at any age but become more common as we get older. The medical term is crepitus , and there can be several causes. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission.
We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. They concluded knuckle cracking occurs as a result of formation of space in the synovial fluid in the form of bubbles rather than the collapse of the bubbles due to synovial fluid rapidly filling the space, debunking the previously held notion. Donald L.
Unger was a medical doctor who was curious about the long-term effects of knuckle cracking, so he cracked the knuckles of one hand only for 60 years.
He found there was no difference in the amount of arthritis between his hands at the end of this time. There has been some formal research on the topic. An early paper from found cracking the knuckles over a long period was associated with swelling and reduced grip strength in some people. A study assessed radiographs of people, aged 50 to 89 years, according to the frequency of their knuckle-cracking behaviour. Again, the prevalence of osteoarthritis of the hands was similar between people who cracked their knuckles often and those who did so rarely.
To quote a study on habitual knuckle cracking:. When talking about popping joints, professionals differentiate between a person physically popping their own joints and condition-related popping.
If there is pain, swelling, limited range of motion, or a history of injury, the popping could have some links to a more serious health condition. Popping with a link to a health condition generally occurs more frequently and can be painful.
Some conditions cause popping joints to happen more frequently, such as in some forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis OA causes the cartilage in a joint to become thinner and more ragged. This thinning and wear can cause pain as joints rub against each other, and it also has links to popping joints.
Popping joints occur more frequently as OA progresses. A study found knee popping to be a predictive factor in people who have OA without symptoms. For those who had OA and knee popping, they were more likely than those without knee popping to have other symptoms with their OA. Another study suggests that people with OA who also have popping knee joints were more likely to report lower physical function and knee-related quality of life.
As mentioned above, other studies show that people dislike joint popping and associate it with unhealthy joints, and so this feeling may influence self-reported findings.
Popping joints can also occur with forms of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis. High-pitched popping sounds from joints are more likely to be from inflammatory arthritis. Lower sounds can be from either inflammatory or noninflammatory arthritis, although this may be hard to distinguish. Although not a popping joint, inflammation surrounding tendons can also cause crunching, cracking, or popping sounds.
Injury or inflammation to the tendon or the areas around tendons, such as tendinitis or tennis elbow , bursitis , or tenosynovitis, are sometimes accompanied by popping sounds. With movement, there is usually a crunching or grating sound which accompanies the pain.
The sounds may or may not be audible without a stethoscope. The way you treat Crepitus really depends on its underlying issue.
In many cases, treating the inflammation can help tremendously. That may include medicinal support or cold therapy. If you are experiencing noisy joints, please contact us or your doctor for an evaluation.
It important to understand the root cause, so that normal noisiness can be distinguished from an acute or chronic condition which requires medical attention.
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