Worried about knees cracking

[mousie]

Whenever I use the leg press sled machine, my knees crack. They don't hurt, but I'm worried that I might be damaging my knees. Is this anything to worry about?

 

[x~factor]

Mine does that sometimes. It makes me feel better if I put my hand over them when I use the leg press machine. This is not to help push the weight but to catch my knee cap just in case.

 

[P-funk]

The crackiling knoise is called crepitus. It is nothing to be concerned about unless it is accompanied with pain or swelling.

 

[Jezziah]

My joints crack from morning until night but so far all my injuries have been unrelated. My only problem is I can't sneak up on anybody.

 

[BabsieGirl]

Press with caution!!!

Did this start after your cycle or before?

 

[zakk]

everything pops on me. When i get out of bed, my first few steps sound like i'm walking on pop rocks.

If you get sharp, shooting pain, its a problem. if your joints come out when your moving, its a problem.

 

[Jake]

My big toe cracks every time I take a step with my right foot. Every time. Not quietly either. Its really handy for making pace when I run, because its like someone is beating a drum in time to my right foot leaving the ground.

My knees crack when I do anything but free weight leg work. It started to hurt, so I quit using machines entirely for legs. It was a good decision, and my knees dont crack anymore.

 

[mousie]

Well, my knees don't hurt when they crack.

I am, however, having a hip problem. Somehow I learned how to crack my hips. I'm not sure how it all started out, but I learned how to do it (really without noticing what I was doing) while sitting in class in college. Now I don't do it purposely unless my joints get stiff. However, there have been a few times where I have been getting in my car and there has been a shooting pain going through my hip. I had an x-ray done last year, but it showed that there was no damage.

Anyway, for now, maybe I'll wrap my knees on leg days.

 

[SkinnyKid]

yeah i was doing leg presses yesterday and my knees were cracking like crazy, i was worried too. it wasnt so much a crack as a crack-squish. funny that this thread was made the same day i had this problem.

 

[mousie]

I'm more worried about my hips cracking than my knees! Last thing I was is a hip replacement! And I'm only 23!

 

[Nuclear Blast]

My ankles crack an awful lot. Doesn't hurt though. Sometimes my knees do the same. Just makes you wonder about arthritis or the beginning of it.

 

[Jake]

I have a friend who is a long distance cyclist and he says his hips crack constantly, sometimes with pain. I think it with him it might be a repetitive motion injury though. Or maybe he is really really overtraining the muscles in his hips through all the distance he does. Funny that you would say 'shooting pain' though, because he used the same words.

 

[mousie]

Oh man...it isn't funny! It almost feels as if someone stabs you in the hip.

 

[Mr.Attitude]

Are you warming up correctly?

I find that if i don't warm up then mines crack but if i warm up they don't.

 

[DaLastDeputy]

Just go with the old saying if it aint broke dont fix it. You dont have any joints broken or bones poping out of place so you should be fine. I would just spend more time stretching the body part that cracks.

 

[mousie]

Just went to get out of my car this morning, and had yet another sharp pain shoot through my right hip.

 

[TheRoyalOne]

My knees and ankles crack all the time. But I don't feel any pain. If it hurts when yours sing the "snap, crackle and pop" song then you should talk to your Dr. about it.

 

[BabsieGirl]

Originally posted by mousie
Oh man...it isn't funny! It almost feels as if someone stabs you in the hip.

many doctors will refer the knee cracking as having, Rice Crispy Knee! I have the EXACT problem. This means you're over doing things and you NEED to listen to your body.

The pain in your hip (if left ignored ) will also cause problems during cardio sessions. Eventually is will affect you while doing lying leg curls

Rest, stretching and anti-inflammatory medication can alleviate this pain. Try taking Glucosamine Chondroitin. It may help you.

Your knee and Hip pain could be caused by having tight tendons.

What ever the case may be Mousie, it is best to consult a physician to get an absolute diagnosis on your pain so that it may be treated accurately and effectively.

 

[mousie]

Well sometimes when I bend down, my knees crack, so what does that mean? Does that mean that I'm overweight and putting too much stress on my knees? If so, maybe that's the same situation with my hips. (Actually today when I bend down, my skin starts on fire! TrojanMan and I went tanning for the first time last night - it's been a LONG time - and we got burned!)

I have some Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM at home, but I can get bad sometimes with taking pills. I should start taking that stuff again. Thank God the local nutrition discount store is having a 15% off sale in a couple of weeks!

Like I said earlier, I had some x-rays done at the hospital, and they didn't show anything. If this continues on and starts to be more frequent, then I'm going to go see my doc again.

 

[BabsieGirl]

I don't think it has anything to do with being over weight. I feel it's due to the impact your joints are getting during activity. i.e. weight training.

That's good you had x-rays done!!!! Yeah, I would talk to your dr or see a sports med dr.

Good luck hon

 

[Mudge]

Originally posted by Jake
I have a friend who is a long distance cyclist and he says his hips crack constantly, sometimes with pain.

The body was never meant for long distance cycling, so really I am not supprised. Anything on the upper levels of athletics is going to be something the body was not intended to do.

Originally posted by SkinnyKid
yeah i was doing leg presses yesterday and my knees were cracking like crazy, i

I use the hack squat machine a lot, but machines dont allow for a natural range of motion and will impart a shearing stress on the knees just like a leg extention. A squat would be better than the leg press. What solves most of my problems though is slow reps and lighter weights, I dont go fast on machines nor my workout in general. The older you get the more you realize you are only going to have one body, and I'd rather not attempt replacing things with high tech plastics either.

Originally posted by Jake
My knees crack when I do anything but free weight leg work. It started to hurt, so I quit using machines entirely for legs. It was a good decision, and my knees dont crack anymore.

Exactly

My own knees crack now and again, and my elbows (primarily my right elbow).

 

[CourtQueen]

my left knee does that - I've always contributed it to the torn meniscus I have (ACL recon both knees, right one meniscus is fine)

Mine seems to go away when I'm lifting consistently and feeling good.