Should I Be Worried That My Knees Click

By Dean Volk, The Carolinas Leading PT

SO many clients who come to see me ask why their knees pop and should they worry, if it is not painful. A knee that decides to ‘pop’ or make a cracking sound can sometimes feel worrying, and I’m sure that most of us at one time or another have knelt down and had our knees make a clicking or popping noise…

Please don’t worry, these noises are common and come along as an inevitable consequence as we grow older.

And in fact, it’s so common that it’s one of the most frequent questions I’m asked and brings many people into my clinics.

Chances are that if you’re aged 40+, clicks and pops may be one of the first sounds that you hear when you get out of bed in the morning, and it’s likely that you’ll hear your knees creaking when you bend your legs too, and move into different positions.

It happens to a lot of people, and it’s nothing to be concerned about, however, it’s definitely something to look into before it could turn into something that brings you knee pain…

Why Do Knees Click As We Get Older?

Well as it happens, this is one of the easiest things to explain…

Your knees job is to act like a cushion that protects your body, and absorbs the shock it receives each time your foot lands when you walk. Your knees take a pounding from every surface you walk on, regardless of what activity you do.

Add everyday walking, to going out for a jog, playing golf, a game of bowls, or simply enjoying a longer walk with your friends around the woods at the weekend – that’s a lot of impact that your knees take over the years.

And as a result, the protective cartilage (the cushion), can begin to wear down… and because your knee joint is tough, inevitably as you move, your knee joint rubs together and clicking noises occur!

Now the thing is, these noises don’t always bring knee pain – not to begin with anyway. But it can often be a sign that pain and stiffness may be on the way – and while that may sound worrying, if you choose to do something about it now, you might just be able to stop knee pain right in its tracks.

So what can you do about it?…

Well there are a number of simple exercises you can do to stretch or strengthen the muscles around your knees, and help to protect your joints. By doing these once a day, you WILL notice a significant difference, and hopefully won’t have to put up with clicking noises for much longer.

One example of an exercise is the quad stretch. This is where you rest one hand on a hard surface (like your kitchen counter), and with the other hand, hold onto your foot behind your back as you bend your knee towards your bottom.

There are plenty more tips and simple exercises that you can do from home in our free information guide—Email me at dean@volkpt.com and put Free Knee Report in the subject line and I will get it right to you. You can always send me a quick note about what you are looking for in this report and I will do my best to answer all your questions quickly.