When bending and unbending, crunching in the knee occurs most often in people who are older than 50 years. Such complaints are found among young people, but much less, and, as a rule, they are associated only with injuries in sports. Long, exhausting workouts can also lead to similar problems. If we talk about medical terms, then the crunch is officially called crepitus. It occurs due to the fact that air bubbles burst in the joint. Such a manifestation is also associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
This condition is considered not serious, as it easily passes. If such a pathology occurs, then, as a rule, the mechanism is associated with the fact that due to lack of air, the joints rub against each other. Crepitus is sometimes considered an independent symptom, in some cases it can be accompanied by pain, swelling.
If we talk about the reasons that provoke a similar problem, then we can highlight injuries. Also, crunching often occurs due to obesity, because excess weight has a strong effect on the joints. Wrong shoes can also be the cause. Especially when it comes to flat soles or high heels. As a result of wearing such shoe models, the cartilage is deformed.
Causes of occurrence
Most often, the causes of a crunch in the knees are in any problems or is this a symptom associated with a lifestyle. It should be noted that there are also basic factors that affect the condition of the knee joint.
The main ones should be called fractures, dislocations, obesity, bursitis, arthritis, gonarthrosis, as well as damage to the ligaments and tendons. Below we consider some of the reasons in more detail. Often in adolescents, a knee crunch occurs due to sports.
Gonarthrosis
Gonarthrosis is a disease that is associated with a violation of the supply of nutrients to the tissues of any joint. In this regard, the cartilage wears out quickly and is deformed. This disease, if untreated, in any case leads to disability, so you should be wary of the consequences. A similar disease is more common in women than in the opposite sex. The older the person, the greater the risk of occurrence.
Types of Gonarthrosis
There are several types of gonarthrosis. There are primary and secondary. The latter occurs if a person has disorders within the joint. External lesions are also taken into account. These include injuries, fractures, operations, and so on. Dislocations also provoke the occurrence of this pathology. Often with such a disease, crunching and knee pain occur when walking.
Primary gonarthrosis also occurs if a person has problems with hormones, genetics, or even metabolism. With the course of the disease, the symptoms become pronounced, which ultimately affects the well-being of a person.
The disease begins to develop from the first stage. It is characterized by cartilage damage. Cells begin to break down, so they cannot regenerate cartilage in case of injury.
For a long time, the disease progresses to the fifth stage. This is the last and most serious. This stage suggests that the person has quite badly damaged cartilage, and it is almost impossible to get rid of such a problem.
One of the symptoms suggesting the presence of a similar problem, it is necessary to call pain in the knee. When walking, as well as with other active actions, it will be greatly aggravated, especially when it comes to overcooling in cold and damp weather. Most often, such a disease in the primary stage only bothers in the morning, and practically does not occur during the day. Over time, swelling develops, it will be quite difficult to straighten a leg, and in the last stages a person will have a very hard walk.
Meniscus problems
Due to this disease, a crunch in the knees during flexion and extension appears constantly. This problem is widespread, occurs in almost 90% of cases of knee problems. Menisci can be damaged either by direct factors or by indirect action. Most often, the actions that lead to this pathology are jumps, sudden movements, turns, and so on. When lifting, a crunch in the knee often occurs due to problems with menisci.
If we talk about the symptoms of such a disease, it is necessary to note the presence of blockade of the joint, pain, clicks that occur during movement, fluid accumulation, as well as hemarthrosis. The damage that occurred in the red zone is much easier to cure. The fact is that it is she who is well supplied with blood. If the damage occurred in white, then the only way to solve the problems is surgery.
Rheumatoid arthritis
This disease is autoimmune. Because of it, joints become inflamed, also the synovial membrane. This disease can occur at any age, most often found in women.
The causes of this disease have not been identified. Allocate that provoking factors can be injuries, hypothermia, overstrain and so on. At the first stages of this disease, performing elementary exercises will be quite easy, but after the development of the disease (at the last stages) it will be difficult to even perform minimal loads. The main symptoms, in addition to crunching in the knees, should also be noted pain, swelling, stiffness, deformation of the joint itself, as well as muscle atrophy.
Arthritis of the gouty type
Similar diseases are associated with the fact that a person's body disrupts the metabolism of uric acid. Because of this, salts accumulate and cause a crack in the joints. This disease affects, as a rule, men who are aged 40-50 years. However, it should be noted that arthritis of this type in the knee joint is a rather rare occurrence.
There are several clinical forms. There are acute and chronic forms of the disease. As a rule, the disease is manifested by severe paroxysmal joint pain at night, which cannot be eliminated with painkillers. When a person tries to make a movement in the knee, a crunch appears. Swelling, redness, and fever at the site of the lesion may also occur.
Hypermobility
This disease is due to the fact that a person has an overly mobile and flexible knee joint. As a rule, such a disease passes on a genetic basis. Sometimes these manifestations are the result of any inflammation or a violation of the neurological and hormonal levels. With this disease, a person cartilage wears out quickly, constantly sprains and bruises occur. A constant crunch in the knees accompanies a person with any load. It is he who is the first symptom and a call to the fact that you need to see a doctor. Often along with it appears pain. However, it is not constant, but arises when performing exercises.
Calcium Phosphorus Exchange
If a person has problems with the quantitative composition of calcium or phosphorus, then the bones and the skeleton itself are primarily affected. Of the main manifestations, there should be noted a crunch in the knee, as well as clicks, the joint begins to gradually deform. There is pain and restriction in the movement of the knee.
Sometimes such problems can be associated with any congenital anomalies. It happens that the disease occurs due to an unbalanced diet.
Overweight problems
When a certain amount of body fat accumulates in the body, then the joints also suffer, because the load on them increases. Over time, the cartilage in the joints begins to deform, and a crunch becomes a familiar symptom. If you get rid of excess weight in time, then you can avoid problems of this nature. You can also use crunch ointment in the knees.
Obesity can result from a sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, genetic factors, or hormone problems. There are currently four stages of disease development. The first speaks of exceeding the norm by 20-30%. The latter is 100% and higher. It should be noted that the stronger the problem associated with excess weight is launched, the joint will wear out faster. Accordingly, a crunch will appear.
Clinical examination
The doctor should not only listen to the patient, but also correctly collect an anamnesis. It is important to conduct a physical examination, as well as to understand how limited movement is in the joint. The patient may complain of pain, problems during exercise and stiffness. Be sure to pay attention to injuries during diagnosis. A specialist must know under what circumstances a crunch occurs in the knee. It is important to pay attention to human activity, especially if it is associated with sports or similar areas. Sometimes the cause of the symptoms is hereditary factors. An external examination can reveal the presence of deformation, swelling, asymmetry, hematomas, skin problems. Sometimes it happens that there is a crunch in the knee when squatting without pain.
Crunch may appear even with normal palpation. This is also a serious manifestation. By feeling it is possible to detect the presence of fluid in the joint. This way you can check for sprains and other injuries.
Auscultation is performed without a phonendoscope. The patient simply needs to perform some exercises so that a crunch can be heard. Movements can be both passive and active. The former is performed by the doctor, and the latter by the patient himself. To understand how constrained a joint is, a goniometer is used.
Diet for the sick
In the presence of such problems, it should be understood that the diet should not only be low-calorie, but also as balanced as possible. You should stop eating salty, sweet and spicy foods. Thanks to this, the patient can not only get rid of excess weight, but also from salts in the joints. If you refuse tasty and spicy dishes, then after a while there will be relief, and the crunch will stop. Especially when it comes to young people who have this problem due to malnutrition.
Treatment
Before choosing a therapy, you should deal with the causes of troubles. If we are talking about symptoms, such as a crunch in the knee, it is important to identify the provoking factor. If the therapy is carried out at home, then a deterioration can be achieved, which will lead to disability.
If you are worried not only about the crunch, but also about the clicking, then you can talk about the coincidence of two joints. This can be cured only by a traumatologist. It should be understood that arthrosis and arthritis are first manifested precisely by a crunch. If you start treatment on time, then you can achieve recovery in conservative ways.
If a person has found such manifestations in himself, then, first of all, active loads should be stopped. Next, you should immediately consult a doctor. After examination and diagnosis, he will prescribe therapy. The localization, depth and also the causes of such a symptom will be taken into account.
A common cause of crunching is overweight. It is he who strongly affects the condition of joints and ligaments. Their configuration begins to collapse, which provokes unusual sounds.
Surgical intervention
In addition to conservative treatment, surgery is also available. Which doctor to go to with a crunch in the knee will allow the therapist to determine. If the treatment does not help, then they are already referred to the surgeon.
To get rid of the contents of the joint, an arthrotomy is performed. It will allow you to remove unnatural clusters, as well as foreign bodies. This procedure is considered especially dangerous and traumatic. However, it is carried out easily due to the lack of muscles covering the knee. You can get to it parapatherally, front and rear. The first option is the most optimal.
The treatment of crunching in the knees with the help of tenoraphy is carried out in order to stitch the tendons. Such an operation is prescribed if they are torn or damaged. During the procedure, special stitches are applied, and the limb is immobilized. This helps prevent other injuries and rapid fusion. The treatment period after surgery lasts up to six weeks. In order for the knee crunch treatment to be successful, correct and reliable stitches should be applied. They should not interrupt the blood supply. Also, the surface of the tendons should be smooth.
Other types of operations are also available. When problems with the functionality of the joint are considered to be the cause of a crunch in the knees, arthroplasty is used. It allows you to restore the structure of a diseased organ. Most often prescribed for severe inflammation. Especially if contracture occurs in parallel.
If the synovial membrane became the cause of a crunch in the knees, then it is removed using the procedure - synovectomy. Often this is prescribed only in case of rheumatoid arthritis, if drug treatment does not give a result. The removed layer of the shell is replaced with artificial synthetic. The operation is prescribed if the membrane is already severely inflamed and grows. Especially if the pathological process is developing rapidly.