Noisy Knees? Don't Be Alarmed!

It seems like the older we get, the more noises our body makes when we are up moving around. The knees are no exception. The older we get, the act of going up and down stairs or getting in out of chairs can produce some pretty alarming noise from our knees. 

​Clicking, grinding, and crunching sounds can make us feel like there is gravel or sandpaper in our knees and make us think that something is wrong.
 
In reality, all of these are quite normal noises and should be no concern for alarm or worry. As we age, the joint surfaces that move on one another are not nice and smooth like they were in our younger years. The roughening of surfaces from years of use will create some sounds when they move on one another. Again, this is common and pretty normal and nothing needs to be done to fix it.
 
If however, the noises are associated with pain during an activity (stairs or getting out of chairs) this is not normal and you should seek help for this if it has been going on for a long time and is having a negative effect on your activities.
 
The knee cap region-patellofemoral joint- is the most common area that causes pain with stairs and squatting activities. Pain in the front of knee is easily treated with hands-on techniques to help modify symptoms, combined with specific flexibility and strengthening exercises for the knee and hip, which do not increase your pain. In addition, education in how to modify or change your activities or movements for a short period of time can also be beneficial.
 
So, if you are having noise in your knees without pain, don’t worry about it and focus on staying active and healthy. If you are experiencing pain in the knee that is not getting better, seek help. Start with the most conservative, least invasive treatment first as most knee pain can be treated successfully without surgery, injections, or medications.

Thanks for reading,

​Bob