Squats > knees 'crackle' ? page

[Xeronimo]

Hi,

English is not my mother tongue so I'm not sure how to describe this but when I'm doing squats my knees often 'crackle' or 'creak'? I hate the sound and also the feeling ... why does this happen (someone told me it was air in the joints??) and how can I avoid it or get rid of it again?

Thanks a lot!

Jerome

[archaeologyboy]

I get this too - I'd love to find out why it is

[Unixmonkey]

I get this, but only in my right knee, It started immediately after I attempted a handstand and fell over sideways and hit my knee sideways on the floor. It doesn't hurt or bother me, but the crackling when taking or rising from a seated position is a bit disconcerting.

[brichards99]

As I understand it this is due to the synovial fluid in your joints releasing gases, probably Nitrogen, due to being compressed or moved around. Another explanation, particularly for the knees, is that the ligaments and tendons have been moved out of place through normal exertion and are snapping back into place as you move.

[The Return of Dado]

This is no problem, you will be ok

[Velocity J]

You also might want to look up patellofemoral syndrome. If the feeling and noise are bothering you it might be worth going to have it checked out.

[inesenite]

Mine to doo. It hasn't stopped me doing some serious lower body weight lifting, including "ass to grass" squats though.

I asked a doctor (an orthopedist here in Belgium) about it, all he did was he squatted himself and said "look, my knees do the same, don't worry" I didn't quite know what to think He did prescribe me some Glucosamine supplements but I imagine it was because he has to prescribe something. I didn't feel any difference after taking them.

[PureFunctionalFitness]

It happens to a lot of people, and unless there is pain, it is probably nothing to worry too much about. The synovial fluid thing a possible factor, make sure you warm up a bit first to get that fluid to a thinner consistency and lubricating the joint nicely.

Also, just make sure that your knees track in line with your toes, a lot of people end up with their knees collapsing in as they squat, a surefire way to damage things if you do it for a long time.

Knees are a funny thing. I have had audible and palpable crepitus in my knees since my twenties, yet never had a knee issue at all. Mine click though on occasions.

Pain is a signal, if it isn't there and your form is good, don't worry about it too much.

[homunculus]

It happens to a lot of people, and unless there is pain, it is probably nothing to worry too much about. The synovial fluid thing a possible factor, make sure you warm up a bit first to get that fluid to a thinner consistency and lubricating the joint nicely.

Also, just make sure that your knees track in line with your toes, a lot of people end up with their knees collapsing in as they squat, a surefire way to damage things if you do it for a long time.

Knees are a funny thing. I have had audible and palpable crepitus in my knees since my twenties, yet never had a knee issue at all. Mine click though on occasions.

Pain is a signal, if it isn't there and your form is good, don't worry about it too much.

Mine kinda hurt right now so I guess I must have done something dumb and hurt them :s

[PureFunctionalFitness]

Mine kinda hurt right now so I guess I must have done something dumb and hurt them :s

Could be a lot of reasons for that, poor form, the knee tracking issue putting undue forces on the joint or soft tissues.

Try to isolate the movement that is causing the problem, just to rule things in or out. Squats and lunges can be hard on the knees if you overdo them or do them wrong, but they are some of the foundation movements for humans, so we should be doing them pain free!! Is it one side or both. Asymmetry is something that most of us have, but fail to address. And most gyms or trainers won't put you right.

Things to look up in Google Search

Gray Cook
Trigger points
Myofascial release

Gray Cook is a genius when it comes to movement, trigger point therapy and myofascial release techniques work great for helping sort out tight muscles, some of which may be skewing your body causing the knee issues.

Might just be overuse, which is easy to sort :-)