Researchers may have identified the long-debated cause of cracking, popping and clicking knees — common at all ages, with or without an underlying knee injury — and whether it’s a cause for concern.

Many of us have suffered from crepitus knee, the medical term for when your knees crack, pop, snap, rasp or grind during movement. It’s a common occurrence and can happen at any age – but does it mean anything serious?

The underlying cause of knee crepitus remains a matter of debate. Again, the paucity of research into its causes means that medical professionals can be at a loss when a patient asks, “What’s causing this cracking in my knees and what can I do about it?” So helpful researchers at La Trobe University in Melbourne looked at previous studies on crackling to see if they could pinpoint the cause.

“Healthcare professionals often struggle to provide advice on this issue, due to the lack of research into the meaning of knee crackles,” said Jamon Couch, of the Sports and Medicine Research Center. La Trobe exercise and lead author of the study.

Researchers looked at 103 studies from 28 countries involving 36,439 participants, including 42,816 knees. Eighty-six studies assessed crackles using physical examination, 10 used self-report, four used both physical examination and self-report, and three did not describe a method of assessment. assessment. Analyzing the data, they found that creaky knees were seen in 41% of the general population.

“Knee crepitus was common in people with and without knee injuries,” Couch said. “We found that 36% of people without a knee injury had cracked knees, although this was much more common in those with a knee cartilage injury. We found that knee crepitus was present in 81% of people with knee osteoarthritis.

The link between noisy knees and osteoarthritis, including the presence of structural changes in the knee joint, was a concern for researchers.

“One of the most concerning findings we made is that people with knee crepitus were more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with osteoarthritis and twice as likely to have knee joint changes. knee related to osteoarthritis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans,” Canapé said.

Although the increased risk of osteoarthritis is something to monitor, the researchers acknowledge that the low to very low certainty of the evidence informing their prevalence estimates and associated findings suggest that their results should be interpreted with caution. Further research is needed.

“Although research into the long-term consequences of crepitus knee is ongoing, people generally should not be concerned about their noisy knees and be encouraged to continue exercising,” Couch said. “If it’s not painful, it probably won’t do any harm.”

The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Source: La Trobe University