What Causes Your Knee to Click & When Do I Need to Worry

When your knee is making joint noise (clicking, grinding, snapping, or creaking it may be due to one of the following reasons:

1. Cavitation. At times, the noise you hear is due to a build-up and release of gas bubbles in your knee joint. When the bubbles burst, this is called cavitation.

2. Ligaments and tendons. Some ligaments and tendons can “catch” as they slide over a bony bump and make a snapping sound as they snap back into place. An example of this can be the iliotibial band (IT Band) as it crosses over the bump on the outside of the knee while the knee bends and straightens. Over time, if the IT band gets irritated, it can result in pain.

3. Cartilage tear. A cartilage tear can occur with an injury or accident. A tear can also occur spontaneously as you age. If you have a piece of loose cartilage in your knee, it can block movement and/or cause popping and clicking.

4. Osteoarthritis. If the smooth cartilage that covers the end of your bones has worn down, flaked off, and/or become roughened, you may experience frequent clicking, popping, or grinding sounds. Clinicians may refer to this condition as “bone on bone”.

5. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: There is another joint between the kneecap and the end of the femur. The underside of the kneecap (patella) can get roughened up, and one can experience grinding, popping, or crunching. The kneecap may also not track correctly in the groove and resulting in the same sounds.

6. Scar tissue - if some of the soft tissue in or around your knee was injured and healed with scar tissue, that scar tissue can catch on surrounding surfaces and create joint noise.

Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program