If your knees click, pop or crack when you squat, climb stairs or stand up, you are far from alone, and the truth is usually reassuring. Knee clicking is extremely common, and on its own it is very rarely a sign of anything serious. The noise can be surprising, even a little unnerving, but in most cases your knee is perfectly fine.
In this guide we explain what causes knee clicking and popping, when it is completely harmless, when knee pain means it is worth checking, and how physiotherapy can help if needed.
What Is Knee Clicking?
Clicking, popping and cracking are all forms of what is medically called crepitus, simply noises that come from the joint as it moves. Almost everyone experiences it at some point. It can be a single click, a repeated grinding, or an occasional loud pop. The most important thing to know is that the noise itself, without any pain or swelling, is usually meaningless and nothing to worry about.
Why Does My Knee Click and Pop?
There are several harmless reasons a knee makes noise. Tiny gas bubbles in the joint fluid can form and collapse, creating a pop, exactly like cracking your knuckles. Tendons and ligaments can flick over bony bumps as you move, producing a snap. The joint surfaces gliding over each other can create sounds too. All of these are normal mechanical noises, a harmless crepitus, and do not mean anything is being damaged.
Is Knee Clicking Something to Worry About?
Here is the reassuring truth: painless clicking is almost never a problem. If your knee clicks or pops but does not hurt, swell, lock or give way, it does not need treatment, no matter how loud it is. Research shows that noisy knees are not more likely to develop problems than quiet ones. In short, this kind of crepitus is not a sign of harm, so you can usually relax about it.
When Knee Clicking Does Matter
The noise matters when it comes with other symptoms. It is worth getting your knee assessed if the clicking or popping is accompanied by knee pain, swelling, a feeling of the knee locking or catching, or the knee giving way. A distinct pop at the moment of an injury also deserves attention. In these cases it is not the noise itself that is the concern, but the symptoms alongside it, which point to something more than simple crepitus.
Does Knee Clicking Mean Arthritis?
This is a common worry, but painless clicking on its own does not mean you have arthritis. While arthritic knees can be noisy, so are countless perfectly healthy knees. Crepitus becomes more relevant when it comes with pain, stiffness and swelling, the actual symptoms of arthritis. If you have those alongside the noise, it is worth an assessment, but noise by itself is not a diagnosis.
How Physiotherapy Can Help
If your clicking comes with pain or other symptoms, physiotherapy can help get to the bottom of it. A physiotherapist assesses your knee, works out what is driving the symptoms, and builds a plan, often involving strengthening the muscles around the knee, improving movement, and addressing load. Even where the noise itself does not change, physiotherapy can settle the knee pain and restore confident, comfortable movement.
Common Questions About Knee Clicking
Is knee clicking normal?
Yes, very. Painless clicking, popping and cracking are common and usually a harmless crepitus, caused by gas bubbles, tendons flicking, or joint surfaces moving. Noise without pain is rarely a concern.
Why does my knee pop when I squat?
Often simply from gas bubbles or tendons moving over the joint as it bends under load. If it is painless, it is generally nothing to worry about.
Should I stop exercising?
No. If the clicking is painless, there is no reason to stop. Staying active and strong is good for your knees. If it hurts, get it assessed rather than just stopping.
Does clicking lead to arthritis?
No. Painless clicking does not cause or predict arthritis. Arthritis involves pain, stiffness and swelling, not just noise.
How can physiotherapy help?
If there is pain alongside the noise, physiotherapy identifies the cause and builds a strengthening and movement plan to ease your knee pain and improve function.
How BeFit Can Help
At BeFit Training Physiotherapy, we can put your mind at ease about the noise, or treat it properly if there is pain involved. Our general physiotherapy and sports physiotherapy teams assess your knee, explain what is going on, and ease any knee pain with a tailored plan, and a mobility assessment can check how your knee is moving and loading. Initial consultations run for 45 minutes, one-on-one.
Our team at Edgecliff and Coogee would be glad to help. No referral is required, and HICAPS is available on-site for immediate health fund claiming.
Book an appointment at BeFit Training Physiotherapy — no referral needed.
Edgecliff: (02) 9327 7749 | Coogee: (02) 7205 2805 | befittrainingphysio.com/book-now
Related Services at BeFit
Learn more about how our team can help:
General Physiotherapy
Sports Physiotherapy
Mobility Assessment
Further Reading
How to Know If Your Knee Pain Needs a Physiotherapist
How to Know if You Have a Baker’s Cyst
References
Robertson CJ, et al. Knee crepitus is prevalent in women with patellofemoral pain, but is not related to function, physical activity or pain. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2017.
de Oliveira Silva D, et al. Knee crepitus is prevalent in women with patellofemoral pain. Braz J Phys Ther. 2018.
Australian Physiotherapy Association. Clinical guidelines. physiotherapy.asn.au.
