After I began to barbell practice with gusto seven years in the past, I observed that my knees would make a loud crackling noise after I squatted. It sounded identical to milk hitting Rice Krispies.
I had by no means heard my knees make noises like that earlier than, so I assumed one thing was terribly unsuitable.
“Nice! I’ve given myself arthritis, and I’m solely 33 years outdated! Perhaps these articles in Nineties Reader’s Digests have been proper: squats are dangerous to your knees. I wager all of the protein I’m consuming is damaging my kidneys, too.”
I began to analyze extra about my snap-crackle-and-popping knees to see if I must be nervous.
To my reduction, I found that I don’t have arthritic knees. Crackling noises while you squat are widespread and sometimes innocuous. (An excessive amount of protein doesn’t harm your kidneys, both.)
In case your knees have been emitting Pop Rocks-esque noises while you squat and also you’ve been involved about it, learn on to set your worries relaxed.
Why Do Your Knees Crackle When You Squat?
Whereas it’s alarming to listen to your knees crackle and pop while you squat, it’s possible simply air bubbles being launched as you bend your knee joints.
This phenomenon known as crepitus.
Air builds up within the joints, and when it’s launched, it makes a crackling or popping noise.
You possibly can expertise crepitus in any joint in your physique.
If you pop your knuckles earlier than a battle, the noise you hear is crepitus. You’re simply letting the air bubbles out of your knuckle joints.
Consider crepitus as pleasant little skeletal burps.
Is It Unhealthy to Have the Crepitus?
Now you is perhaps pondering: “‘Crepitus’ sounds an terrible lot like ‘decrepit.’ So does having crepitus imply I’m on the trail to changing into a decrepit outdated man?”
So long as you don’t expertise ache alongside along with your knee crackles, crepitus isn’t an issue.
Once more, it’s possible simply air bubbles leaving your knee joints.
Should you expertise ache together with the crackling noises in your knees, then it is best to get that checked out. It could possibly be a tendon situation, or the bones in your knees are grinding towards one another. Don’t ignore ache! Ache is your physique’s manner of telling you one thing is unsuitable.
Can You Scale back the Crepitus Noise When You Squat?
Whereas crackling knee noises are possible benign, they could be a little bizarre and annoying. So is there something you are able to do to cut back the crepitus noise while you squat?
I’ve observed that my crepitus is loudest after I first begin my warm-up squats. The crackling reduces as I progress by means of the warm-up and into my working units. After I get to my last working set, my knees are now not crackling. I suppose I get all of the air out after so many reps. I additionally suppose warming up the tissues across the knees helps cut back the crepitus noises.
You may as well put on knee sleeves. Not solely do they supply assist round your knees when you squat, however in addition they hold your joints good and heat, which may help cut back their crackling. Plus, having a chunk of thick artificial material round your knees helps muffle the sound of their crackles and pops.
Backside line: In case your knees sound like Rice Krispies while you squat, you possible don’t have anything to fret about. It doesn’t imply you’re getting outdated and decrepit and can want rheumatism ointment like Uncle Wiggily. However, do be careful for that wily Woozie Wolf.
