Hearing unusual noises from the knee can worry people, as you fear the worst when you can’t see whats going on inside. Kneecap clicking is not often painful and people are used to living with it for years. If these soft tissues get tighter on 1 side of the knee more than the other, the kneecap can get pulled out of alignment slightly as you move, creating a noise.īoth of these 2 causes are fairly normal and occur in everybody every single day. Kneecap tracking: anatomy wise - Your kneecap is held in place on top of the knee joint by muscles, tendons and ligaments. just like clicking your knuckles!) By the way it’s a Myth you’ll get arthritis from clicking your knuckles!!! The gas gets pushed through a very narrow joint space making a noise (e.g. These bubbles make a noise when they burst during joint movement. Gas Bubbles: Sometimes tiny air bubbles (nitrogen) build up within the fluid inside your joints.
There are 2 main reasons for getting kneecap noises - its either from bubbles of gas popping or the kneecap not tracking in the knee joint groove properly. The noise usually occurs when you bend your knee after not moving it for a period of time, producing a loud, audible noise ( a crack, click or a popping sensation). Kneecap crepitus is incredibly common and is found in a quarter of all knee injury cases (particularly in runners - see our previous blog). Whatever the cause of your Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, our certified physical therapists can identify and fix the underlying issue so you can get back to your active lifestyle.First of all medically we call the clicking noise a joint makes - CREPITUS. Trigger point dry needling is also effective in restoring proper muscle firing through the knee joint. This can be done by strengthening surrounding muscles and retraining proper body mechanics. Many patients feel markedly better after resting from strenuous activities for a few days, but if you find that isn’t helping, give physical therapy a try! Physical therapy can help reduce pain and prevent future pain by treating the underlying cause of the PFPS. It is also common to experience an overuse injury in conjunction with one of the two previous mentioned causes of PFPS. The repetitive nature of these activities can wear down the cartilage, irritating the kneecap and causing pain. This repetitive motion while participating in activities that already cause compression around the patellofemoral joint builds pressure behind the kneecap, causing pain.ģ. Overuse: PFPS is most common in endurance athletes who participate in activities that place repetitive force on the knee joint. Let’s say your hip stabilizing muscles aren’t working properly - your knee may move inward or outward depending on the dominant or weak muscle. If this occurs, it can place a large amount of pressure behind the kneecap in areas that aren’t used to compression, resulting in irritation and pain.Ģ. Muscle Imbalance: Muscle imbalances can affect the movement of the knee, resulting in irritation behind the kneecap. TOP 3 CAUSES OF PFPS:ġ. Kneecap Movement Dysfunction: Normal movement of the kneecap should be up and down, but if a movement dysfunction is present it may move side-to-side. PFPS can affect anyone but we mostly see it in the younger, more active population. The pain is typically aggravated by activities that cause compression around the patellofemoral joint including biking, weight-lifting, and (the most common) running. The underside of the kneecap, or patella, is covered in cartilage that can become irritated if there is excessive rubbing between the kneecap and femur bone. WHAT IS PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME (PFPS)? If you are experiencing pain in your knee, specifically under your kneecap, one common cause of this may be Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), a condition in which the area under your kneecap is irritated and causes pain. Many of our patients come to us after experiencing persistent knee pain desperate to find the underlying cause of the discomfort. The knee is a complicated structure with tons of muscles and ligaments that can become injured and cause pain.