Crunching in the knee joints is not only an unpleasant and annoying phenomenon. Sometimes it is also a symptom of more important problems in the body. So why are your knees crunching? What are the causes of this discomfort? How dangerous is it to health? The answers to these questions will be of interest to many people.
Why do knees crunch? Physical exercise
The knee joint acts as a shock absorber while walking. It is he who accounts for the main burden. And in people constantly exposed to intense physical exertion, the articular surfaces wear out over time. This phenomenon is not uncommon, for example, among athletes, people with hard physical labor or representatives of those professions that require a constant standing position (for example, waiters, sellers, etc.). It is proved that even constant wear of 5-6 kilograms of weight negatively affects the condition of the joints.
On the other hand, a crunch in the knees can also be associated with an inactive lifestyle, lack of physical activity. Of course, in people who move a little and spend most of their time sitting, there are abnormalities in the functioning of the whole organism, including knee joints.
Separately, it is worth mentioning about uncomfortable shoes. The constant wearing of high hairpins causes not only changes in the arch of the foot, but also leads to an incorrect distribution of body weight - as a result, the knees experience a much greater load.
Why do knees crunch? Overweight and malnutrition
If wearing 5 kg can adversely affect a person’s quality of life, then you can only imagine what kind of load the knee joints experience if overweight is 10, 20 and even more kilograms. Of course, in obese people, articular surfaces wear out much faster.
Crunch can also be associated with malnutrition, especially the abuse of salty and spicy foods. In the absence of a balanced diet, the body does not receive the necessary amount of nutrients and building materials, which affects the work of the joints - quite often it is in them that salt deposits are localized.
Why do knees crunch? Arthrosis
Arthrosis is a fairly common joint disease that is associated with wear and tear of articular surfaces. Its main symptoms are crunching and pain in the affected joints. In fact, all of the above factors can lead to knee arthrosis. In addition, the disease can be hereditary, be the result of trauma, surgery, metabolic disorders.
How to treat joints?
This question invariably appears before people suffering from a crunch and discomfort in a knee. But this problem should not be ignored - it is better to consult a doctor right away. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the cause and tell how and how to treat joints. Sometimes the patient may be prescribed some kind of medication or vitamin complexes. In other cases, regular massage and proper nutrition will be more than enough. And, of course, do not forget about physical exertion - for diseases of the knee joints, the doctor will choose the right complex of therapeutic exercises.