In orthopedic medicine and sports medicine, crepitus describes a popping, clicking or crackling sound in a joint. Joint popping sounds may mean that air is moving in the joint, which is usually harmless.
People most often notice crepitus in their knees, but it can also happen in other joints like the shoulder, elbow or neck.
Crepitus with pain can be a sign of wear and tear or injury.
Joint Popping or Cracking: Symptoms & Signs
Crepitus, or joint sounds, can be a normal part of movement. Many people experience popping joints, especially as they get older. You may notice:
- Popping or cracking when you bend your knee or elbow
- Crunching sounds in your knee when you go up or down stairs or kneel
- Crackling or grinding sounds or a crunching sensation when you move your shoulder
- Occasional or continual swelling around the joint
Causes of Crepitus or Joint Popping
Often, crepitus is harmless. It happens when air seeps into the soft tissues around the joint (such as the kneecap). When you bend the joint, the air bubbles burst, and you hear a cracking sound.
While most crepitus is harmless, some forms of crepitus signal a problem. If the popping or crunching sound comes with pain, you should see a doctor to evaluate the cause.
Causes of painful joint popping may include:
- Osteoarthritis: Arthritis is a condition in which cartilage begins to rub away, leaving bones unprotected and creating inflammation. When bones rub and grind, it causes pain and stiffness that usually gets worse with activity. Read more about arthritis.
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFS): Also known as runner’s knee, PFS causes crepitus along with pain behind the kneecap (patella). It can happen when you suddenly increase your activity level and is often caused by running, squatting or jumping. PFS is more common in women than in men. Learn more about knee pain.
- Torn cartilage: A cartilage tear can happen because of a sports injury, a fall or an accident. Cartilage damage is another possible cause of painful crepitus.
Treating Crepitus in the Knee, Shoulder or Other Joints
Many causes of joint popping and cracking improve with natural home remedies, like taking anti-inflammatory medications, or using the “RICE method” (rest, ice, compression and elevation). Other causes might require a doctor’s help.
“Our joints are mobile, so there are a lot of things that slide over or run past each other,” he said. “When they move, there is the potential for anatomy to intersect.”
Pockets of nitrogen gas can develop within the fluid medium that helps lubricate joints and provides nutrition to cartilage, and that can cause popping sounds as well.
“It’s not known if it is the creation or the popping of the bubbles that makes the sounds though,” he said.
Robert Gallo, M.D., also an orthopedic sports medicine specialist at Hershey Medical Center, said the only time people need to get concerned about noisy joints is if the sounds are accompanied by swelling and/or pain.
Contrary to popular belief, both doctors say there is no association between joint sounds and arthritis.
Gallo said some patients like to use chondroitin and glucosamine supplements, or injections, to help lubricate joints. While there is little evidence to prove that such measures help, “there is little downside other than cost,” he said. “They are relatively safe as far as we know.”
Stretching tendons and ligaments and strengthening the muscles around the joints can help keep joints — especially the knee cap, which rides in a pretty shallow groove — centered in place.
Sources:
https://www.aurorahealthcare.org/services/orthopedics/conditions/crepitus
Nutritional Support Considerations for Crepitus | Joint Popping
Mild:
- Everyday Essentials Active — 1 packet daily with food.
Everyday Essentials Active provides comprehensive nutritional support for active individuals in supporting the maintenance of healthy joints and mobility. Each bottle of Everyday Essentials Active contains 30 packets of high quality broad coverage supplements including Essential Multi, Omega Pure EPA-DHA 500, Chondro-Relief® Plus, and Herbal Eze. This comprehensive formula features bioavailable, patented ingredients essential for supporting healthy connective tissue, healthy joints and mobility. Everyday Essentials Active is formulated to support the unique nutritional requirements of active lifestyles.
Clinical research has demonstrated the efficacy of Everyday Essentials Active to:
- Support healthy immune function and overall well-being
- Promote healthy oxidative stress response
- Promote energy production and vitality
- Support cardiovascular function
- Support musculoskeletal health
- Support joint, cartilage, tendon, and ligament health and function
A number of studies have found that fish oil helps reduce symptoms of arthritis, including joint pain and morning stiffness. One study suggests that people with arthritis who take fish oil may be able to lower their dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Berbert AA, Kondo CR, Almendra CL et al. Supplementation of fish oil and olive oil in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Nutrition. 2005;21:131-6.
- D3 5000 with K2 — 1-2 softgels daily. (higher dose, if documented by the serum vitamin D test)
According to a 2012 study published in Arthritis Rheum., low levels of vitamin D increases the risk for osteoarthritis pain. – D3 5000 with K2 features 5000 IU of vitamin D3—the most bioavailable form of vitamin D.
Moderate to Severe, Add:
- Chondro Jointaide — 2 packets daily.
Chondro Jointaide contains a complete spectrum of research-backed joint and soft tissue supporting ingredients. Such ingredients include glucosamine, chondroitin, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and hyaluronic acid, all of which work in concert to support cartilage integrity, and mediate oxidative stress in joints.7
Moreover, Chondro Jointaide also provides crucial micronutrients and patented herbal extracts that support total joint and soft tissue health, including: vitamin C, manganese, green lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) powder, curucimonoids, boswellic acids, gingerols, and shogaols.
Benefits and quality differences of Chondro Jointaide include:
- Supports total joint and soft tissue health
- Helps regulate synovial fluid concentrations in articulations
- Support cartilage, tendons and ligaments
- Help reduce pain associated with minor joint and muscle aches
A randomized controlled clinical trial has “provided support for the suggestion raised in the 2008 Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) that glucosamine plus chondroitin sulfate might provide clinically significant pain relief for patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain.” – Ann Rheum Dis. Published online January 14, 2015
An industry-supported study of more than 600 adults in five countries showed that compared with placebo, a daily dose of pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin improved pain and function as much as the NSAID celecoxib. At the 1-month mark, celecoxib improved symptoms the most, but by 6 months both were similarly effective. – Pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin sulfate is as effective as celecoxib and superior to placebo in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: the ChONdroitin versus CElecoxib versus Placebo Trial (CONCEPT)
Regular use of glucosamine, chondroitin, or fish oil supplements reduces high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) by 16% to 22%, a marker of inflammation, according to a study published online November 8, 2012, in Am J Epidemiol.
Dietary Suggestions
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