Listen to Your Joints: Snaps, Pops and Cracks and What Those Noises Mean

Pops and creaks come with your body – they are commonplace and can vary from things that sound like cracking your knuckles to crunchier noises. They often arise when the ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones in our bodies – especially our joints – move in a way that forces air to move fast or creates friction from moving tissue

So do they mean anything?

“Sometimes the noises come from air movement and sometimes it’s friction, since we have many tissues and connections that move over bone and joints,” said orthopedic surgeon Dustin Bechtold, MD, Avera Orthopedics Sioux Falls. “Many noises, like cracking your knuckles, are harmless.”

Yet Bechtold said if a noise is accompanied by:

• Pain
• Dysfunction, such as the inability to move well
• Inflammation
• Swelling, warmth or discoloration

The noise could be something more than a novelty.

“Shoulders, knees and ankles are among the joints that make the most noise,” Bechtold said. “But any joint can click or pop, and if there’s no pain or other problem, you’re likely fine.”

Clinically, crepitus is the formal name for grinding in a joint.

Understanding When a Joint Noise Means Something Serious

“Grinding, catching and popping sounds can be a sign of arthritis,” Bechtold said. Like other noises, if it happens without pain or a decrease in function, it’s usually nothing to worry about.

“It’s created when rough surfaces in the tissue rub against each other or against bone,” he said.

When the cartilage tissue on the surface of the bones in a joint wears out, the creaking “bone on bone” noise is possible. It can come from friction and is something you’ll want to have checked.

“It’s a unique situation, and it has its own specific sound,” the physician added. “This rubbing can come with limited pain. Other times, the pain can be substantial. It also may include dysfunction, such as a limp or inability to move well.”

Seeing your provider or visiting an orthopedic specialist is the best approach to addressing this condition, which can worsen and lead to further damage and deterioration.

Some noises are pretty normal, so don’t panic if a popping or click comes up. “Many of the tissues around joints are durable,” Bechtold said. “Some people are more prone to having motion and friction causing noise, but that’s not necessarily harmful.”

If you have a clicking tendon, joint or cartilage location – don’t use it to show off (or gross out) your friends and family. “It may not be a good idea to irritate a noisy area. It likely won’t cause too much harm, but overdoing it can lead to inflammation more rapid deterioration,” Bechtold added.

He also said patients who have had joint replacement procedures sometimes have related noises. When people have a knee replacement, there can often be a distinctive clicking sound. Scarring in the area of replacement can create a “clunk” or grind and people who have had ceramic-on-ceramic hip replacements can sometimes create a high-pitched squeak when they move or walk.

How Orthopedic Treatment Can Cure Joint Noises – and Pain

When patients have noise and pain, specialists can help them with a wide range of treatment options.

“We start with history, examination and imaging,” Bechtold said. “The RICE approach is often best to begin.”

RICE is an acronym that stands for the self-care methods that include:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression and
• Elevation

“When the RICE approaches are tried and pain or dysfunction continue, we usually start with additional conservative options to get patients back on track,” said Bechtold. That could include physical therapy, over-the-counter pain medications or, further down the treatment spectrum, specific injections.

“If these steps do not lead to enough improvement, or if the problem is severe enough at the outset, the patient may be a candidate for a surgical procedure,” Bechtold said. “Arthritis or other tissue damage can be at the root of many noises and orthopedic conditions.”

Arthritis is not age-based, Bechtold added. “We have patients 30-40 who have bad cases, and some 90-year-old patients without it.”

Make an appointment with an orthopedic expert about joint pains or concerns.