[januarybabe]

Sometimes I feel my knee pop and it is enough pain to me gasp. The pain doesn't last long. Is this related at all to PN?I am suspecting it is another condition. It does this mainly when going upstairs. Before it was just my left knee but today my right knee was affected.

Is there any way to prevent this?

[mrsD]

As we age, our cartilage decreases. This opens a space in the joint, which can fill with air, which makes the "pop" sound with movement. Also the tendons can then become strained with any movement that is not in line with the bones.

Also the joint may become unstable, as it loosens. A knee brace may be a good idea if you feel your knee is unstable. Don't get a real tight one... too tight and it compresses the nerves behind the knee...the peroneal which is sensitive and leads to foot drop if damaged. There are good braces that adjust with velcro straps now.

you may have to have an orthopedic doctor evaluate your knee before
it slips and you get a dislocation, which is very painful and hard to heal up.

[nukenurse]

check out IT band friction syndrome. I have the same problem walking up stairs. For me, it usually happens when the knee flexes beyond a certain point.

[mrsD]

There are 3 major kinds of sounds:

popping is usually air in the joint.

snapping or cracking may be a tendon moving or slipping

grinding is called crepitus and involves friction in the joint and
is most common with arthritis.

These are only general descriptions, because popping and snapping may sound alike. Usually the snapping you can feel more than a pop. I find popping to be mostly painless.

My right knee has been pretty bad the past decade. Right now it is okay... but it never popped using stairs. I can pop it in bed however, by flexing it-- Seems it is very unstable to side to side motion, and in bed we may press on the lateral aspect and slightly move it out of alignment.

Most of my knee inflammation (MRI diagnosed synovitis), responded to SAMe. I took that for several years with great success.

[januarybabe]

I think mine is more of a snap because it does hurt quite a bit for a short while. I have the crepitus thing going on, too.

Would cracking your nuckles be similar. I can't feel or hear my knuckles crack. Some people are really "good" at it.

[mrsD]

Yes, the knuckles usually are air popping. People with larger knuckles usually can pop them more easily. Smaller fingers have less room for air.

[nukenurse]

mine is a snapping as the tendon moves across the bone. Sometimes it hurts so bad, makes me wonna cry. Going up stairs or getting up from a low chair cause the knee to have to move through a range of motion with pressure on it. When the range of motion is 45-90degrees (or even less when flared up), causes tendon to snap and pain is very bad. It causes my knee to sublux to the lateral side. Because of that, for awhile I used to think my knee "popped" out of place when going upstairs, etc. After living with it for 15 years, I realized it was a tendon above my knee cap that snaps as it crosses a bone during flexion of the knee.

[mrsD]

There are alot of nerve endings in tendons. That is why they hurt so much when strained.

[twcarync]

Could be entrapment of the cartilage in the knee. Sometimes when there is a tear in the meniscus (cartilage) it can cause popping or even for the joint to temporarily lock up.

[v5118lKftfk]

I am roaming around through old posts and wondering if anyone has any thoughts about mild "crunching" sounds.

All my life, even as a kid, I could make crunching sounds if I did deep knee bends. Now they are a little louder and more often as I exercise. It's one of those borderline situations: maybe this is normal and not anything to worry about or maybe I am doing some damage as I continue to exercise.

It isn't a bold popping or snapping sound, just a low level crunching.

I asked my physio but they just seemed to hem and haw and not say much either way.

My main concern is whether I am doing long term damage or whether it's just part of exercising or will lessen as I exercise more.

Any thoughts?

Natalie