If you have a habit of breaking or pressing your fingers to make a sound, you may be concerned that doing so is causing arthritis. In fact, this popping sound is just a physiological phenomenon and will not lead to arthritis, nor will it make your joints thicker.
But what if your knees make a ‘popping’ sound when you jump or squat? There are many conditions that can cause a popping knee, so let us help you identify them.
Knee structure
The knee is located between the large and small legs, and the bones involved are the femur, tibia and patella.
The knee joint is the largest joint in the body because it is the longest and thickest bone in the body, the upper femur, which transmits the strong power provided by the quadriceps to the tibia, and the reverse force generated by the knee joint under pressure against deformation can be 2-4 times the body weight.
The knee joint is also the most complex joint in the body, and its structural stability requires a large number of ligaments and cartilage to maintain.
Physiological popping
This is a diagram of the capsule structure of the knee joint: the knee joint is the largest joint in the body because the femur at the upper end is the longest and thickest bone in the body and can transmit the strong power provided by the quadriceps muscle to the tibia, and the reverse force generated by the knee joint under pressure against deformation can be 2-4 times its body weight.
The knee joint is also the most complex joint in the body, and its structural stability requires a large number of ligaments and cartilage to maintain.
Physiological popping
This is a diagram of the capsule structure of the knee joint: the cavity in the joint formed by the capsule (the cyan part between the two bones in the diagram) is called the joint cavity and contains joint fluid, which acts as a lubricant. The cavity is negatively pressurized to maintain the stability of the joint structure. When the joint is pulled or flexed (pulling and breaking fingers can make a popping sound), the pulling force exceeds the negative pressure of the joint cavity, and a distinct cavity appears, where the surrounding gas diffuses rapidly into the cavity and vibrates together with the fluid, resulting in a crisp sound. In other words, the physiological popping sound is caused by the vibration of the gas in the joint cavity.
Medical research has shown that this physiological ringing is not harmful to health and does not cause joint inflammation, joint damage or joint enlargement. Also, here’s a little secret: more than 50 percent of people break their fingers every day.
How can you tell if your joints are physiologically snapping? Physiological popping usually meets several conditions.
The sound is crisp, single and non-repetitive
It occurs only when the joint is suddenly stretched or flexed
There must be a period of rest for the joint between popping sounds
There is a slight pain or discomfort, often followed by a sense of relief
Pathological popping
If your snapping knee does not meet the above criteria, it may be a pathological snapping. There are a variety of conditions that can cause a popping knee, such as
Meniscal injury: located in the medial or lateral tibiofemoral joint space, with a crisp sound that occurs frequently, often with joint interlocking (stuck, painful)
discoid meniscus: located in the lateral tibiofemoral joint space, can be loud or quiet, occurs frequently, occasionally with joint interlocking
Synovial crepitus syndrome: located around the patella, crisp sound, often with localized pain
Osteoarthritis: can be located in the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints, with a low, dull sound and frequent occurrences, often accompanied by local swelling and pain
Patellofemoral joint mutation: located in the patellofemoral joint, with a brittle or dull sound, even like a twanging sound, occurring frequently, and may be accompanied by patellofemoral pain
Joint free body: the occurrence of the site is not fixed, irregular, the sound is small, with joint interlocking
Cruciate ligament old injury: low dull sound, low frequency, may be accompanied by joint symphysis
Iliotibial spasm: popping and misalignment when the knee is straightened, high frequency, no pain
Meniscal injuries are the most common cause of popping knees. Milder meniscal injuries are painless, and walking and even jogging are not affected, so they are easily overlooked. Long-term untreated injuries can easily lead to articular cartilage damage, which may eventually lead to osteoarthritis and even knee replacement. Therefore, minor injuries to the meniscus should be treated as early as possible.
Is it already dizzying to look at? The only advice we give here is: leave professional things to professionals. If you do not meet several conditions of physiological popping and suspect that you have pathological popping, please go to a regular hospital as soon as possible and let the doctor make a judgment by combining medical history, signs and imaging examinations.
Other conditions.
If you neither meet the conditions for physiological popping, nor have pathological popping ruled out through medical consultation, there are several other possibilities.
Ligamentous laxity: when the joint moves too much, the ligament will make a muffled sound when it stretches and then returns, which usually occurs on both sides and tends to appear in thin people
Muscle imbalance: inconsistent muscle tension near the associated joint, resulting in the active bones not moving in their original trajectory, which may occur with one or more sounds.
Insufficient joint fluid: small sound with grinding sensation
For the office family and the more nerdy Han / girl, sedentary, lack of exercise, irregular diet, improper daily posture, etc. are prone to the above three conditions, to remind themselves at all times these and these bad habits to do battle.
Another point is to get into the good habit of warming up before exercise, warm-up activities can give enough time for the joints to secrete joint fluid, can better prevent joint and muscle injuries.