I hate squats. I hate them with a passion! But I have to admit they work great. But my knees crack almost everytime I squat! I cand do the leg curl things at the gym either! (yanno when you sit in the thing and lift the bar up with the bottoms of your legs.. those!) My left knee is the worst, it sounds like freakin rice crispies! It's like snap, crackle and pop over here! If I put my hand on it, I can actually feel the cracking.. What the heck could be causing this? Is there a way to strenghten them or something?

And actually, I had this in my left knee since I was a kid..(not this bad though).... and I've asked my drs about this a few times and they say it looks normal.... Umm ok

Any ideas?

It might be damaged cartilage in back of the knee or arthritis. This can't be seen will regular xrays.

Maybe someone else has some other ideas. My knees crack all the time, in me it's arthritis.

Hi Slim Shady!

If you do a search on the internet, cracking knees is found everywhere. From what I've gathered, no one is absolutely certain what causes the cracking noises...anything from gas in the joints to loose cartilage settling.

Knee popping is bad when you experience pain from it or your knee begins to swell. And you should see your doctor if you feel like your knee is about to give way on you.

Sometimes, when i've been in one position for an extended period of time, if I stand up and lock my knees I feel a nice little pop that I assume is my patella re-positioning. Feels kind of nice sometimes...go figure.

Hope this helps!

My knees crack just as you described...probably even more! I have really bad knees! I have loose jagged cartiledge and beginning stages of arthritis so it could be a number of things for you. If it is painful, see your doctor. I am getting one of my knees scoped to fix the cartiledge.

Slim, your post made me laugh. My little sister and I had ajoining bedrooms when we were little. I would hear the snap and crackling and think she was up walking around. Nope, they even did it when she rolled over in bed. Good memories...

Her knees still do that, 17 years later. So far she doesn't have any problems, and she's 7 months preggers now.

Funny, I was just telling my husband that my knesss crack all the time. They do it anytime I bend my knee fully and then straighten it out. It doesn't hurt, but gives me an anoying feeling.

I have the same problem! When i do arm lifts with the weights my elbows constantly crack. It doesnt hurt at all, but its annoying, and im afraid that I'm hurting something.
I have looked into it before, because it concerned me, but my sources say that as long as it doesnt hurt that there is no need to be concerned. I think I also remember hearing this..but dont quote me on it...but they said that the snaping sound is air...or gas in the joint, being forced out when you extend your arm (or leg) and the joints are put together. Sounded like a good explaination to me.... But its pretty much the same thing as when you crack your fingers.