Crunching in the knee joint is technically called crepitation. A large number of people, many of whom are already young, unfortunately suffer from crepitus or cracking in the knee joint during movement. The crunching can be detached from or associated with pain.
While a crepitus often has harmless causes, such as a short-term, minimal defective position of the kneecap, a crepitus should be taken seriously and treated medically and therapeutically if necessary. Our knee joint is the largest and one of the most complex joints in our body: it is exposed to heavy loads, since it has to carry our body constantly. Knee joint arthrosis is a very common disease of the knee joint and can affect different areas of the knee joint.
The joint surface between the thigh and the lower leg, or the joint surface between the thigh and the kneecap. Arthrosis results in wear and tear of the articular cartilage and a remodelling of the joint. It can be accompanied by a crunch.
The connective tissue structures of the joint can also cause grinding in the knee joint. Here, meniscal damage or injuries to the cruciate ligament can be considered. There are a variety of causes that can lead to crepitation in the knee joint.
They should be clarified, especially if they occur in connection with pain. After an operation, crepitation in the joint can occur. Especially after cruciate ligament plastic surgery or meniscus surgery, patients complain of crepitus in the joint.
Due to the lack of stability in the joint, there may be minimal misalignment of the joint surfaces, which may cause a grinding. Abrasive products can cause irritation and grinding in the joint. However, they should be absorbed quickly.
If a joint lock or severe pain with the crunching occurs, the treating physician should be consulted. A tearing sound (painless!) can be expected after long immobilization after surgery.
Here you can hear how the surrounding connective tissue loosens from adhesions. If crunching occurs some time after knee surgery, it may be cartilage lesions. After a trauma with subsequent treatment of the cruciate ligaments or menisci, the cartilage is often also affected.
The weakened cartilage can be worn down more quickly than the healthy one, and crunches can occur. After the use of a total endoprosthesis (TEP) in the knee joint, there may be a cracking sound when moving. The noise, especially if it already appeared immediately after the operation, does not necessarily indicate a problem, such as loosening of the prosthesis.
It can occur due to the sliding of the materials over each other. If the noise changes over time, or if pain occurs during movement, the doctor should be consulted. A proper crunching can be a noise caused by the kneecap if it has not been removed during the joint replacement.
Sliding of the patella in its sliding bearing may be limited, for example, by changes in the cartilage in the sliding bearing of the patella. Noises are heard, especially during flexion, when the patella is pressed into its bearing. These should be clarified, especially if they are accompanied by pain or signs of inflammation.
You can find more information on this topic here:
- Knee TEP
- Knee TEP symptoms/pain
Crunching or cracking may also occur when climbing stairs. Here, cracking is often caused by a lack of joint stability. The connective tissue structures slip from one position to the other, causing a noise.
Even a slightly changed position of the patella in its slide bearing can cause a cracking sound. This cracking is initially harmless if it is painless. However, to prevent deterioration, a stabilizing training program should be considered.
If the knee joint crunches when climbing stairs, this can again originate from the patella (kneecap). This is pressed into its slide bearing by the pressure of the knee extensor muscle. If the cartilage underneath the patella changes, a crunch may occur.
The crunching can also originate from the joint between the upper and lower leg. In this joint too, the joint surface can become uneven due to changes in the cartilage. Degeneration of the menisci and cruciate ligaments can cause noises.
Grinding can be a sign of developing arthrosis and should be clarified by a doctor.When standing up, there are similar reasons for a crunch in the knee joint as when climbing stairs, as there is a similar biomechanical load. The kneecap is pressed into its slide bearing and crunching may occur. Crunching can occur when the muscles that are responsible for the stability of the knee joint after the relaxed sitting position are now in a position to provide sufficient stability for the knee joint, but cannot stabilize it sufficiently. The noise can also be caused by “skipping” of ligaments or tendons, or a rapid repositioning of the menisci.
