As soon as you get up from the sofa "creak," your knee clicks. At first you don't think much of it, but when the chorus of crackles follows you throughout your day, you can't help but wonder, "What gives?" Thankfully, knee clicking is incredibly common and typically nothing to worry about, says Laura Moore, MD, PhD, orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and an Assistant Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"The vast majority of knee clicking is painless and harmless -- it doesn't mean your knee is going to implode," she says. It's only when the noise is accompanied by pain or swelling that you should see your doctor because it could be a sign of something more serious like a meniscus tear or cartilage injury.
Here, experts reveal the main causes of knee clicking as well as simple exercises that not only muzzle the noise, but also strengthen the muscles around your knee and ease more serious conditions like arthritis.
What causes knee clicking?
While not all knee clicking is harmless, it's usually nothing serious. One top cause: air bubbles popping in the synovial fluid that cushions the knee joint, reveals Dr. Moore. More conditions that may lead to or contribute to the creakiness include a torn meniscus, cartilage damage, osteoarthritis, ligament injuries and scar tissue, she adds.
Other factors that contribute to knee problems
Everything from the natural aging process to past injuries may lead to knee issues, reveals physical therapist Jonathan Su DPT, C-IAYT, CSCS, author of 6-Minute Knee Pain Cure. Here, a few common culprits behind knee troubles:
Menopause
Knee clicking -- as well as knee injuries like tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) -- are more common in women than in men. That's largely because our hips are wider, causing a more acute angle that puts pressure on our knees.
"After the age of 50, we lose one to two percent of our muscle mass every year," reveals Su. This can lead to an imbalance in the structures around the knee and cause clicking, he explains. He adds that menopausal women may also be at a higher risk of knee clicking, thanks to decreasing levels of estrogen that protect muscles and joints.
Repetitive movements
From walking regularly to sweating it out at SoulCycle, we tend to have a set exercise regimen. While staying active is great for our health, same-old routines may lead to knee clicking. "If all we do, say, is bike or hike, that habitual movement may cause some muscle imbalance and lead to clicking," says Su. Simply incorporating a variety of activities -- from yoga to walking to tai chi -- into your routine flexes different muscle groups and dials down knee clicking. Plus it helps you beat one of the main reasons we stop exercising regularly: boredom.
Diabetes
The all-too-common chronic condition may be an indirect cause of clicking in the knee because it can impede blood circulation. "And when our bones, joints and tendons are not as well nourished, knee pain and knee clicking may be the result," says Su.
Previous injuries
If you have a history of knee injuries, that clicking sound you hear may be a relic of a past trauma. "I've worked with high school athletes, for example, who recovered from a knee injury as far back as two years ago but still have knee clicking," says Su. "It may not yet be painful but maybe after five miles of running, it could start to hurt and worsen over time."
Favoring one side of your body
We evolved to have a dominant eye, hand and leg so that we could respond quickly when danger arose, notes Su. The trouble is, as we get older, that dominance becomes more pronounced and can lead to overuse in the knee that we favor. How to tell which side you instinctively prefer? Su recommends noting which leg you tend to use first when you take the stairs and changing it up from time to time so that you're using your opposite foot.
3 simple exercises to curb knee clicking
"We can't change how old we are, but we can quickly boost the strength of our muscles and increase nourishing blood flow to our muscles and joints," assures Su. Keep reading for a few easy exercises that'll help stop the clicking and ease knee pain. To reap the most benefits from these exercises, he advises doing two to three sets of 10-15 reps twice daily for the first week, then once daily two to three times a week.
1. Quadriceps stretch
We tend to overuse our quadriceps, the muscles in the front of our thighs. Such strain can lead to short, tight muscles that trigger knee clicking or pain, Su explains. To strengthen these muscles and help curb clicking, he recommends a quadricep stretch.
To do: Lie on your side with your body straight, legs stacked one on top of the other and your clicking knee on top. Use your bottom arm as a pillow for your head. Bend your knee until you can reach your top hand behind you and grasp your upper foot while keeping your knees hip-width apart.
Next, gently thrust your hips forward while using your hand to pull your heel toward your buttocks. Do this until you feel a good stretch in the front of your thigh, then hold that stretch for 60 seconds. Check out Su's easy how-to in the video below.
2. Hamstring bridge
While the quads tend to do all the heavy lifting, the hamstrings in the back of the legs are underutilized, which can also lead to knee clicking or pain, notes Su. To strengthen these muscles and help support the knee, he suggests a hamstring bridge.
To do: Lie on your back with your hips and knees bent at 90-degrees. Position the backs of your heels hip-width apart on a chair and your arms next to your body with your palms flat on the floor. Bring your pain-free knee to your chest, leaving only the heel of your clicking knee on the chair.
Lift your buttocks as high as you can off the floor. Hold briefly at the top of this movement, then lower yourself back down into the starting position. See Su's easy how-to in the video below.
3. Side-lying bent leg lift
Another underutilized muscle group includes the lateral hip muscles. "If these muscles aren't strong, the knee may buckle inward, causing pain or clicking," says Su. Enter the side-lying bent leg lift, designed to strengthen the hips.
To do: Start by lying on your side with your bottom leg extended straight and your top leg's hip and knee each bent at a 90-degree angle. The shin area of your top leg should rest on the floor. Use your bottom arm as a pillow for your head and place your top hand on the floor in front of you for balance.
Lift your top knee, shin and ankle toward the ceiling as a single unit until they're between one and two feet off the floor. Hold briefly at the top of this movement, and then lower the leg back to its starting position. For an easy how-to, check out the video below.