Sounds from your neck, shoulder back, hip or knee?

Do you hear sounds coming from your neck, back, shoulder, hip or knee?  These sounds are typically not a cause for concern*.  If the sounds are coming from your stomach, you may want to consult or a dietician or obstetrician;).

Even though our hearing is gets worse as we age, most of us hear more sounds coming from in or around our joints.  Does it sound like popping, clicking or crackling? This is called crepitus and is the typically the sound of our tissues (or joints) abnormally moving or rubbing together.

Sounds that are typically NOT a cause for concern, especially if these sounds are NOT painful

  • Example: Ankles, knees or hips etc. cracking in the morning or after a period of inactivity.  This is often due to a pressure change (liquid/gas interchange) caused by compression and/or settling of joints in a different position followed by change/movement.
  • Pops or cracks that only happen once and are not repeatable for 15 to 20 minutes.  This is often called a cavitation and typically doesn’t involved inflammation or irritation of the joint or tissue
  • Crunchy (ex. knees) but you have heard these sounds at the same level/volume for a long time.  This may indicate some irregular joint surface but is NOT necessarily due to arthritis or joint/articular degeneration.
  • Ankles or shoulders popping, clicking or grinding.  This could be due to hypermobility due to previous ankle sprains or overuse of the shoulders leading to some extra motion (+/-  mild subsequent changes or modifications to surrounding tissues).

Sounds of possible concern, especially if accompanied by soreness

  • Sounds that are getting louder over time
  • Sounds that occur more frequently over time
  • Sounds occurring in a smaller range of motion than before
  • Sounds producing (more) pain or soreness
  • Sounds that are associated with stiffness or dysfunction
  • Other symptoms occuring such as swelling, redness, pain or any other symptom(s) that cause you concern – seek medical diagnosis

What to do?

  • These sounds can sometimes be resolved with some light stretching or foam rolling/ball massage of the surrounding area (should be pain free).
  • Sometimes joints are not centered/centrated throughout their range of motion due to a neurological protective mechanism and feedback loop.  This may need to be corrected with strengthening exercises at or near end range.  Example:  Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs)
  • If these sounds are transient and not painful, you can continue to exercise, but try NOT to repeat the sound(s) excessively.  For example, if something sounds crunchy or clicks when you doing a squat or lunge (or any other exercise), modify or limit the range of motion of that exercise and stop just before or after the sound occurs.  This way, you can get the benefits of the exercise without the frictional irritation.  Repetitive friction could increase inflammation, irritation and further damage to the joint or soft tissue with possible subsequent joint surface and cartilage erosion or fibrotic thickening/scar tissue development.
  • If these self-remedies do not work, diagnosis and treatment from a health practitioner (Chiro, Physio, Massage, MD) may be required.

*If any sound is worsening or is accompanied by pain, swelling, or any other symptoms or concern, it may be an indication of arthritis or another medical condition so seek medical help.