Noisy knees?
I have been asked frequently recently how to fix creaky knees!
The truth is sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t!
The good thing is that there is no evidence that having crunchy knees is causing any damage to the knee joint!
Although it’s hard to convince yourself that when your knees sound like bubble wrap every time you squat, lunge or go down stairs!
WHY DO THEY CRUNCH AND CLICK?
As the knee bends the knee cap slides up and down a groove within the thigh bone. If the relationship between these two parts of the joint lose perfect synergy we get poor movement, this then leads to the joint clicking and crunching.
- Joint position throughout movements where there is added compression around joint leading to popping or clicking.
- Tendons flicking across boney prominences as you move through squatting or stairs.
- ‘Gas bubbles’ within the joint burst as we move through fast or large movements (much like when you crack your knuckles!).
- Mild wear and tear within the cartilage surfaces of your knee means there is more friction between the bones and can lead to crunching.
Simple solutions to help quieten the crunch!
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Loosen your quad muscles
Foam rolling or stretching the thigh muscles out is crucial. The tighter the quads become over time the more compressive forces develop around the knee cap. More compression force means the joint mechanics are altered and you get more clicking.
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Improve glute strength and control
Does you knee wobble all over the place when you do a single leg squat?? If this sounds familiar then it’s due to poor hip muscle coordination and strength. Improving this can improve knee control which in return will reduce noisy knees as the knee is not ‘dropping in’ when you do a squat.
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Move more & Sit less
Chronic sitting can lead to quad and hip flexor tightness that builds over time. Over time this starts to wreak havoc with the knee cap as the quads span the hip and knee joint meaning it gets pulled from the both end.
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Quadricep strength
Improving quadricep muscle strength especially VMO (the inside quadricep muscle) helps stabilise the knee cap within the groove of the thigh bone and can reduce crunching inside the joint.
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Knee cap mobility
Getting stuck into the tissue surrounding the knee cap with a massage ball is important to keep the knee cap gliding smoothly through its groove. This is key for quietening those knees down.
If you need help get in touch here www.thephysiodepot.com.au
