Knee Clicking When Walking? Discover Why!

Have you ever experienced knee clicking when walking? Or heard cracking, popping and creaking sounds in your knees?  If so, you may be wondering what it is.  As the weather starts to change, with increased moisture in the air, you may find your knees are bothering you and /or “speaking up”.

As a practitioner, I find that as the weather changes many more patients are saying that they’re starting to feel aches and pains.  The most common aches and pains I am hearing about are in the neck, low back and knees.  One of my patients asked me if the change in weather can cause knee clicking when walking or popping sounds in their knees.  So I think this is worth talking about….

Identifying ‘Knee’ Sounds

Personally, I have experienced these sounds in my knees since I was a teenager and still do on occasion get knee clicking when walking when I am not making time to ensure I have a balanced body.  When I was teenager, I remember being very curious, concerned and even confused about what the sounds in my knee were.  There are different types of sounds which may indicate different causes.

Creaking

• A creaking sound (technical term is ‘Crepitus’) may indicate that the cartilage is rubbing on the bone surface or bone on bone.  This may be sign that there is something wearing away resulting in degeneration.  This is often a result of long-standing abnormal pressure and function of the knee.

Cracking

• Cracking or popping sounds (technical term is “cavitations”) are the most common sounds people hear in their knees. This sound is often caused when a muscle or tendon is tight and is creating a popping sound as it slips over a bony prominence.  The popping sound may also be the release of oxygen build up inside of your knee joint itself.  If you can reproduce the sound repetitively it’s more likely the sound is coming from tight muscles and tendons.  If it’s something that pops and then you don’t hear it for another 20 minutes or until the next day, it might be from the oxygen building up.

When To Seek Help When Experiencing Popping, Cracking or Knee Clicking When Walking?

Even healthy knees can experience knee clicking when walking and make these popping and cracking sounds.  Therefore, when you hear these sounds coming from your knee in the absence of joint swelling or pain, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your knee.  However, if you are experiencing joint swelling and pain, that’s something that you should have looked at by your healthcare practitioner for a knee examination.

Our practitioner will do orthopedic tests to get a better understanding of the cause. Sometimes the creaking and cracking sounds may be related to internal damaged that could warrant further testing and imaging.  These are used to confirm a diagnosis and steer you in a specific direction of treatment options and rehabilitation protocol.

The Power Of Stretching For Your Knees

With or without sounds coming from your knee, most people will benefit from stretches!  To learn more about this, click here to read, “THE POWER OF STRETCHING –  4 WAYS IT IMPACTS YOUR BODY (AND MIND) IN A POSITIVE WAY.”

The stretches below will help you restore and maintain a balance in your body.  With or without symptoms, we often have imbalances as a result of lifestyle habits such as;

• crossing our legs when we sit
• wearing poor unsupportive shoes
• sitting slouched and twisted at a computer
• driving for long periods of time
• even sitting on a wallet

These are some of the many examples of how your body shifts out of balance.  When your body is out of alignment, there are muscles that become weak, tight and no longer activate, which results in abnormal wear and stress on the joint.

Think of the knee cap as a train that rides up and down in the front of your leg in a specific track when your quadriceps muscle contracts and relaxes.  The knee cap is surrounded by muscles and ligaments.  As muscles on one side of the knee cap tighten or weaken, it pulls on the knee cap and derails the smooth track, putting uneven pressure on the patella (knee cap) which could lead to irritation and inflammation under the knee cap.  This often results in tightness, pressure, aches and pains.  This uneven tracking may also increase the risk of further injury if left uncorrected.

How To Get The Most Out Of Stretches

In order to get the most out of stretches, I recommend warming up your muscles.  Go for a short walk or bike ride.  You can also warm up your body with a series of controlled movements or dynamic stretches which will increase body temperature, activate the nervous system and improve your range of motion.  An example of a dynamic stretch is swinging your leg forward and backwards like a pendulum.

Typically, dynamic stretches are used for warming up the body prior to exercise which is then followed by static stretches.  Static stretches are typically held still for 30 to 60 seconds.  Typically, a stretch is felt in one specific muscle with static stretching

Let’s Get Started!

Here are some basic stretches that you can try at home.  Be sure to hold these stretches for 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat 3 times.  Always stretch both legs.

Leg Swing Dynamic Stretch: