Are Joints Noises a Sign of Premature Aging?
We’ve all experienced joint noises before. Maybe you’re one of those people who like to crack their knuckles. Are joint noises a sign of premature aging? Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?
Joint noises are extremely common and are referred to as crepitus in the medical world.
The exact cause of the sounds that our joints make is not always completely understood. There is agreement in the literature regarding the formation of a bubble in the synovial fluid as part of the mechanism of some joint crepitus; however, the process by which the bubble is formed, and the source of the cracking sound is not clear. There is also suggestion that the noise might be coming from different soft tissue structures coming into contact with each other.
Robertson (2010) suggested that crepitus is often present in the complete absence of any joint pathology.
McCoy et al (1987) demonstrated that 99% of a group of subjects with no knee pain had patellofemoral crepitus.
There’s no evidence that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Interestingly, a Californian physician reported on an experiment he conducted on himself (Unger 1998). Over his lifetime, he regularly cracked the knuckles of only one hand. He checked x-rays on himself after decades of this behavior and found no difference in arthritis between his hands.
A study by Robertson et al (2017) suggested that patients often hold negative beliefs about the noises that their joints make and in turn this may negatively affect their behaviour. Amongst participants in this study there was a common belief that crepitus denoted degeneration and enhanced feelings of premature ageing. Participants reported that the noise made them feel old, and at times this led them to be less active.
A helpful guide is that if you are not experiencing pain or any other symptoms along with the joint noises then this is most likely a sign of a normal, healthy joint. If pain or other symptoms accompany the joint noises, then advice from a medical professional should be sought.
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References:
McCoy, G., McCrea, J., Beverland, D., Kernohan, G. and Mollan, R. (1987) ‘Vibration arthrography as a diagnostic aid in diseases of the knee.’ J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 69-B, 2, 288- 293.
Robertson, C. (2010) ‘Joint crepitus — are we failing our patients?’ Physiother. Res. Int. 15, 185-188.
Robertson, C., Hurley, M. and Jones, F. (2017) ‘People's beliefs about the meaning of crepitus in patellofemoral pain and the impact of these beliefs on their behaviour: A qualitative study.’ Musculoskelet Sci Pract 28, 59-64.
Unger D. (1998) ‘Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?’ Arthritis and rheumatism 41, 5, 949–950.