People often experience surprise when their knee crack during exercise, especially if the sound is associated with pain or other symptoms. Most often however, this sound is harmless and results from pressure changes within fluid- and air-filled pockets surrounding their knees.
Strengthening weaker outer quad muscle groups and improving knee stability may be enough to remedy the situation; in other cases, however, consulting an injury specialist may be necessary.
Causes
Squatting is a popular form of exercise designed to strengthen and tone legs, targeting multiple components of your knee joint’s muscles, ligaments and tendons. If you hear pop or crackle noises while squatting don’t worry – crepitus noises are perfectly normal and could even prove beneficial!
Sound in knee joints occurs when fluid shifts into different places, creating space for air bubbles to fill and shift around your knee bones (femur and tibia). As they rub against each other, this causes crackling or popping noises which result in crackled sound waves.
If squatting hurts or makes an audible clicking noise, it is crucial that it is checked out immediately as these could be signs of other issues.
Poor gluteal strength can contribute to knee squatting pain by pulling on your patella out of its tracking pattern while you squat. To strengthen them, start by adopting proper posture when standing, then widen out to assume a wide stance position and squat as though sitting down on a chair that’s too far back behind you.
Squatting knee pain may also stem from overcontracting of your quadriceps muscle. When performing squats, this muscle can overcontract and pull on the front of your kneecap causing it to move out of alignment, creating pain. One solution could be doing more squats while paying close attention to form: keeping feet hip width apart while moving into each squat from hips rather than pushing off with knees.
Thirdly, an imbalanced muscle may be to blame for your knees clicking. Quadriceps and iliotibial bands play an essential role in supporting knee joints by evenly distributing force across them and keeping kneecaps aligned when you bend and straighten knees; any weakness in one can throw things off track, leading to cracking sounds when you squat.
To combat this, incorporate single-leg squats gradually into your workout regimen or introduce them gradually over time. Start with shallow single-leg squats, gradually progressing deeper ones as your strength improves. Foam rolling your legs can also help improve flexibility, aid recovery from exercise, reduce muscle soreness and enhance joint function; try these leg foam roll exercises:
Diagnosis
Clicking or popping noises often associated with squatting are harmless and do not indicate any serious injury. They’re caused by pressure being exerted upon the joints of your knees as they shift between different positions, leading to friction or vibration between cartilage, ligaments, and soft tissue structures within the joint, creating small bubbles in lubricant that surround your knee that burst open, producing popping or cracking sounds similar to when cracking your knuckles; this condition is called crepitus and occurs regardless of age.
Crepitus when squatting typically results from muscle imbalances or improper knee movement. Tight quads and other surrounding muscles may affect how your patella sits in its joint, potentially leading to uneven pressure distribution on either knee that causes discomfort. Releasing these tight quads through foam rolling, massage therapy or other means may reduce this form of knee click.
However, noise could indicate something much more serious than just an occasional clicking sensation or click. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a condition often associated with age that involves wear-and-tear damage to cartilage and membranes supporting knee joints; once these break down, your knee can rub together as you bend and straighten it, leading to crunching noises similar to when squatting occurs – this condition is known as osteoarthritis of the knee.
As another potential cause for knee clicking related to squatting, problems with your synovium soft tissue (also called synovial plica syndrome ) could also contribute. Folds within this material could create clicking sensations as well as pain or swelling in the back of the knee joint.
Other potential causes of squatting-related knee clicking include weakness of core muscles, which may result in weak back posture and excessive strain on knees during squatting. Improper technique (allowing knees to cave inward or shifting too much weight onto toes) may also add stress to knees.
Treatment
The knee joint is a complex structure composed of multiple articulations (movement areas) connected by ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Our bodies are closely-pressurised systems; our knees contain joint capsules filled with synovial fluid that acts as natural lubrication for moving the ends of bones in our knee joints. As these bones move with movement, their fluid- and air-filled pockets within these capsules may shift and produce audible noise, sometimes known as creaking or cracking noises in response.
Most times when we hear cracking sounds coming from our knees, they shouldn’t be taken as a cause for alarm; rather they may indicate more serious joint issues that could worsen with continued exercise. But cracking could also be an indication of damage done to one or both joints that could worsen further over time.
Are You Feeling Pain from Patellar Tendinitis? A condition caused by overstretching of the patellar tendon may leave you in discomfort; to address this condition effectively requires guidance from a physiotherapist who will recommend targeted physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises designed to restore flexibility and stability to your knee joint.
Knee pain and swelling could be indicative of a torn meniscus, which causes abnormal knee movement during weight-bearing activities such as squatting. A comprehensive rehabilitation programme may include strengthening exercises, manual therapy techniques and neuromuscular control training to address both knee discomfort and correct movement patterns.
Squatting may cause clicking because of imbalanced quad muscles, which may pull your kneecap out of its track as you move. This condition is known as runner’s knee; treatment typically includes strengthening exercises to restore tracking of the kneecap.
Prevention
Squats are an effective way to build lower body strength and stability, but some individuals experience knee pain while doing this exercise. This could be caused by weakness in hips, quads, hamstrings, glutes or other muscles around the knee that have not been adequately engaged during squatting – so if discomfort or clicking sounds occur while squatting consult a physical therapist in order to discuss effective treatment solutions.
Crepitus, though often perceived to be a serious health concern, is actually quite normal and should not cause alarm. Over time, gas bubbles form within the synovial fluid encompassing your knee joints; when bent or squatted upon, these gas bubbles break open, producing an audible pop at each bend or squat which creates the popping noise heard when bent/squatted on. This phenomenon helps keep knees healthy by decreasing inflammation and encouraging cartilage growth within them – thus contributing to better overall health by decreasing inflammation while increasing cartilage growth within them – something many other things cannot.
Muscle imbalances in the knee can also contribute to crackle during squats. When weaker muscles pull your patella off track while you squat, this puts additional pressure on its cartilage surface, potentially leading to discomfort or injury. When this is the case, exercises that strengthen knee-supporting muscles (such as clam shells, side-lying leg raises with resistance bands around thighs, resisted glute bridges, single leg mini squats and donkey kicks) may help correct an imbalance and stop crackling during squats.
At another source of clicking knees during squats lies knee valgus – when your knees cave inward. If you have knock-kneed or poor alignment of your knees, this can put extra strain on them and contribute to them caving in during squats. However, this issue can be avoided by improving core strength and learning how to perform the exercise correctly.
An additional cause of knee crackle during squats can be improper footwear. Wearing shoes that are too narrow or have high heels may lead to excess pronation, which puts added strain on the knees and can make them crackle during squats. To reduce this possibility, ensure you wear well-fitting and supportive shoes and consider adding arch support inserts into existing footwear for optimal results.
