What causes joint crackling?

Many people can hear the joints crackling when they shake their neck, waist, wrists or calves. After the crackling, the joints feel very comfortable and relaxed. If the joints do not hurt when they crack, it proves that there is no major problem with the joints and it may be caused by lack of exercise. If you are worried, you can go to the hospital for a detailed examination. So, what causes joint popping?

There are several reasons why joints crackle:

1. Gas escape. There is synovial fluid in the joints that acts as a lubricant and contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. When the joint is squeezed, the joint capsule expands and contracts, and the gas is released quickly to form bubbles, which produce a sound. This mechanism prevents the joint from being squeezed again because the gas must return to the joint fluid before it can be squeezed again.

2. Activities of joints, tendons and ligaments. When you are doing something, if your posture and position are incorrect, noise will occur. This is also a reminder that the position is wrong.

3. Rough surface. When arthritis occurs, a rough surface appears due to the loss of smooth cartilage, which causes a noise when rubbed.

The former point is physiological joint noise, and the last point is an abnormal condition, but it is caused by aging and is not pathological.

The above is an objective phenomenon. Joint crackling is also a subjective phenomenon, because some people particularly like to squeeze their fingers to make a crisp sound. So there has long been a saying that doing this can cause arthritis. But there is no evidence to support this. A 2011 study comparing the knuckles of people who squeezed their joints and those who did not concluded that squeezing did not lead to knuckle arthritis, no matter how many years or how often. The results of other studies are consistent.

A doctor named Donald Unger squeezed the knuckles of his left hand with his right hand every day for 60 years without any adverse effects. In 2009, he won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for using his hands for such a long time to conduct experiments.

Under normal circumstances, joint clicking is normal and nothing serious is wrong. Regardless of the cause, joint popping itself does not require treatment as it will not cause any problems in the future, and there are no specific exercises or supplements that can prevent joint popping.

What is really worth noting is that when the joint popping is accompanied by pain, or when the joint popping is accompanied by swelling, both of these situations require seeing a doctor, especially for the knee joints.

If there is pain at the same time as the knee joint clicks, there are two possibilities:

1. Meniscus tear. It mainly occurs in young people, especially sports injuries.

2. Cartilage damage or wear. Wear and tear mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, the most serious of which is osteoporosis.

Cartilage wear is inevitable as we age. Joint noises are not enough to worry about. What we should worry about is the health of our knees, because osteoporosis cannot be cured and can only be prevented.

The health of the knee joint depends first on exercise. Exercise at least twice a week to make the knees and legs strong, especially the muscles that support the knees. When exercising, warm up and stretch first, and don't do it too vigorously at the beginning. Sports shoes must also fit your feet and be replaced regularly because the shoes themselves are subject to wear and tear. Second, and more importantly, is maintaining a healthy weight, as overweight and obesity are a major risk factor for osteoporosis.

As long as there is no pain or swelling, there is no need to worry about joint cracking.