How To Pop Your Knee Safely - Healthline

Maybe your like

HealthlineSubscribe

Nutrition

How to Pop Your Knee Without Injuring Yourself

Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT — Written by Kathryn Watson — Updated on January 30, 2025

How to pop
Precautions
Causes
See a doctor
Takeaway

You may be able to pop your knee by sitting on a chair and performing specific exercises. If you frequently need to pop your knee, speak with a healthcare professional.

Cracking, popping, or crunching noises that come from your knee during certain movements are known as crepitus.

Crepitus in your knee is often harmless and relatively common. In fact, some research estimates that 4 in 10 people experience crepitus, but this number is likely to be underreported.

However, frequent noises may indicate wear and tear associated with aging or a health condition that is present or developing.

If you sometimes feel a strange sensation in your knee joint — as if it’s inflated with air or locked into place — it may be accompanied by a strong desire to “pop” the knee. This helps alleviate tension that is built up in the joint.

This can be done safely if you move slowly, carefully, and with intention.

How to pop your knee

The knee joint connects the upper and lower parts of your leg. It’s composed of several components like bones, cartilage, and ligaments that help it straighten, bend, and hold weight.

Knee crepitus can occur if any of these components get affected.

Here are two methods you can try to pop your knee. It’s important to stop immediately if you experience any pain.

1. Active knee extension

Sit down on a chair.
Extend your leg straight in front of you and point your toe upward.
Pause at the top and return to the starting point.
Repeat until you hear a pop or you’ve performed 15 repetitions.

2. Seated knee pull

female performing seated — Active Body. Creative Mind.

Sit down on a chair, with your buttocks close to the edge.
Wrap your hands around the affected knee, just below the kneecap.
Pull your leg in toward you, aiming to touch your chest with your knee. Hold the stretch at the top for 3 seconds. This should create tension in the knee and a “pop,” or release.
Lower your leg back down. Repeat until you hear a pop or you’ve performed 15 repetitions.

If you feel like you need a bit more tension to get a “pop,” try wedging a hand towel behind the affected knee.

It’s important to stop immediately if this stretch causes increased pain.

Precautions

Researchers characterize the sounds of knee noises into two types:

Pathological: These are knee pops and sounds that only you can feel or hear. These usually have a clear cause, such as inflammation, injury, or surgery.
Physiological: These knee pops are loud enough that everyone can hear. There’s usually no clear cause, but frequent knee cracking that’s physiological is a sign you may need to see a doctor to determine the underlying issue with your knee joint.

Why your knee feels like it needs to pop

Your joints are coated in a lubricant called synovial fluid. This fluid contains oxygen and nitrogen, among other elements. Occasionally, the gases from this lubricant can build up into tiny bubbles and need to be released, causing a “crack” in your knees.

That said, the causes of crepitus aren’t always straightforward. Researchers are still working to learn more about what causes these popping and cracking sounds in our joints.

Other causes of knee cracking include broken bones that don’t heal correctly and tendons that catch on the ridges of your bones and muscles as you move.

As you age, the cartilage in your knees can become worn. This deterioration of your knee joint can cause it to feel “creaky” as bone rubs on bone when you move your knees.

Sometimes, pain in your knee joint can also indicate a knee injury or other developing health conditions. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, some causes of knee noise include:

knee osteoarthritis
ACL injury
torn or strained meniscus
iliotibial (IT) band syndrome
plica syndrome
patellar (knee cap) fracture
having had knee replacement surgery

When to see your doctor

If you get an injury and feel or hear a loud “pop,” you may have experienced a bone fracture, tendon injury, or ligament tear – especially if it’s accompanied by intense pain.

It’s important to get immediate medical attention if this occurs.

Make a doctor’s appointment for your knee if you notice:

skin discoloration, swelling, or stiffness around your kneecap
tenderness or pain when you touch your knee
inability to bend your knee
consistent pain with walking or jogging

The bottom line

Cracking your knee is safe if pain or injury doesn’t accompany the sound.

Getting regular physical activity and doing joint-loosening activities like Pilates, yoga, and water-based exercises could help make your joints more flexible.

If you experience frequent pain or the urge to pop your knee, speak with a healthcare professional. This may be a symptom of an underlying health condition that could require medical attention.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Couch JL, et al. (2025). Noisy knees - knee crepitus prevalence and association with structural pathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39375004/
Song SJ, et al. (2018). Noise around the knee.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5851845/
Why do knees make noise? (2023).https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/why-do-knees-make-noise/

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT — Written by Kathryn Watson — Updated on January 30, 2025

How To Pop Your Knee Safely - Healthline

Health Conditions

Condition Spotlight

Wellness Topics

Product Reviews

Featured Programs

Featured

Lessons

Newsletters

Lifestyle Quizzes

Health News

This Just In

Top Reads

Video Series

Find Your Bezzy Community

Follow us on social media

Nutrition

How to pop your knee

1. Active knee extension

2. Seated knee pull

Precautions

Why your knee feels like it needs to pop

When to see your doctor

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

Read this next

3 Ways To Crack Your Knee - WikiHow

How To Self Adjust An Achy Knee - YouTube

How To Crack Your Knee-Pain Relief From Self Adjustment - YouTube

How To Pop My Knee - Infinite Wellness Center

What Does A Pop In Your Knee Mean? - HSS

Knee Noises: Do You Need To Be Concerned About Pops And Cracks?

Why Does My Knee Feel Like It Wants To Pop?

Pop In The Knee | Causes, Common Questions & How To Treat

Dislocated Kneecap - NHS

What Causes Knee To Pop? - Sutter Health

What Causes My Knee To Pop And Hurt? - Sutter Health

Knee Popping And Pain: Causes, And When To Consult A Doctor

Causes Of Knee Popping Or Snapping - Verywell Health

Contact