Knee Noise: Crepitus And Popping Explained - Healthline

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What to Know About Knee Cracking and Crepitus

Medically reviewed by Daniel Wiznia, MD — Written by Leslie Vandever — Updated on April 16, 2024

Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Treatment
Takeaway

Key takeaways

Knee crepitus, characterized by cracking, popping, or grinding sounds, often doesn’t require treatment unless it causes pain.
If knee crepitus is accompanied by pain, it may indicate osteoarthritis, a knee injury, or another type of arthritis, warranting a consultation with a doctor.
Maintaining a moderate weight, engaging in regular exercise, and using pain relief methods can help manage knee joint health and alleviate symptoms.

A woman walking down the stairs. — Westend61/Getty Images

You may hear occasional pops, snaps, and crackles when you bend or straighten your knees or walk up the stairs. Doctors call this crackling sound crepitus (KREP-ih-dus).

One explanation for why this happens is osteoarthritis, but there are many other causes. In most cases, noisy knees aren’t a problem — but if you have pain, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor.

Read on to learn more about the signs and symptoms of crepitus.

Symptoms

If you have knee crepitus, you’ll hear noises when bending your knee. You might notice:

cracking
popping
clicking
grating
grinding

Having these signs doesn’t mean anything is necssariy wrong with your knee. If you have osteoarthritis, you’ll likely experience additional symptoms like:

swelling
pain and aching
stiffness
limited range of motion
muscle weakness
instability or buckling

When to worry about crepitus

Crepitus in the knee is common and usually painless. According to research, the effect on mobility and quality of life is very minimal, and it doesn’t always mean something more serious is going on.

You usually won’t need to contact a doctor or physical therapist if you have knee crepitus symptoms. However, if you have pain as well, there might be something going on.

Crepitus is one of the symptoms of osteoarthritis, so your doctor will want to check whether or not you have any other signs of this condition. It can also indicate that you might have a knee injury or another type of arhritis.

Treating crepitus when it hurts

Crepitus is usually harmless and doesn’t require treatment. If you do have pain alongisde the clicking, your doctor will diagnose the exact cause in order to determine the best course of treatment.

If you have osteoarthritis, a variety of treatments can help you manage symptoms. Experts currently recommend:

managing your weight
exercising regularly
using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen (Tylenol)
taking prescription medications
having steroid injections
applying heat and ice packs to reduce inflammation
doing physical therapy and strengthening exercises

Read on to learn more about treatment for osteoarthritis.

The bottom line

Cracking and popping sounds in your knees aren’t usually a sign of anything serious, and most people don’t need treatment.

However, if you have pain or other symptoms with noisy knees, it may be a good idea to see a doctor.

Exercise, diet, and weight management are all ways of keeping your knee joints healthy and preventing future problems. They can also help you manage symptoms and slow the damage to your knees if you have osteoarthritis.

“”””

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.

Lo GH, et al. (2017). Subjective crepitus as a risk factor for incident symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5671376/
Osteoarthritis. (n.d.).https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/osteoarthritis
Pazzinatto MF, et al. (2019). What are the clinical implications of knee crepitus to individuals with knee osteoarthritis? An observational study with data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6849337/

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Medically reviewed by Daniel Wiznia, MD — Written by Leslie Vandever — Updated on April 16, 2024

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Key takeaways

Symptoms

When to worry about crepitus

Treating crepitus when it hurts

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

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