loading . . . What Creaky Knees Really Mean for Your Long-Term Health Here’s some potential good news for runners or people fresh off knee surgery: Your creaking knees might not indicate deeper health issues. New research finds that knee creaking is not associated with a greater risk of arthritis in people recovering from surgery.
Scientists at La Trobe University in Australia led the study, which examined the long-term outcomes of young patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Though people with knee creaking did experience more pain on average in the first year following surgery, they ultimately fared no worse than people without creaky knees years later.
The findings suggest that creaky knees might not be a reliable predictor of future arthritis, even in people healing from traumatic injuries, the researchers say.
## A noisy universal
Having a snap, crackle, and pop knee is formally known as knee crepitus.
It’s a common condition, estimated to affect about 41% of the general public. While people of all ages can have knee crepitus, including people who aren’t experiencing any pain, studies have shown it’s especially common in people with osteoarthritis. That’s led some doctors to argue that crepitus should be seen as a clear early warning signal of arthritis in high-risk groups, including knee surgery patients.
To test out this hypothesis, the researchers recruited 112 young patients (median age 28) who had their ACL repaired. Following surgery, the participants’ knee health was tracked for five years, which included people’s self-assessment of relevant symptoms like knee pain and crepitus; the participants also received an MRI of their knee one year and five years after the surgery.
## Creaking but not broken
Though people with crepitus did have a tougher time at first, things eventually balanced out for both groups, the researchers observed.
“We found that those with knee crepitus demonstrated more than two and a half times greater rates of full-thickness cartilage defects in the kneecap area, with more pain and poorer function early on,” said lead author Jamon Couch, a physical therapist and graduate researcher at La Trobe, in a statement from the university. “But over the next four years, those with crepitus did not experience worse pain and function compared to those without knee crepitus.”
People with ruptured ACLs are at higher long-term risk for osteoarthritis in general. So the findings, published last week in the journal Arthritis Care and Research, should provide some reassurance that having creaky knees isn’t a sure-fire predictor for later issues, the researchers say, particularly in younger people recovering from surgery.
While this study focused on ACL patients specifically, there are other reasons to believe knee creaking on its own shouldn’t be seen as a major concern for the average person. A review last year by the same authors found that 36% of people without knee pain experience crepitus, for instance, just a smidge below the percentage seen in the overall public.
Experts do recommend that people who have other knee symptoms besides crepitus, such as pain or swelling, should consider seeing a doctor to have it checked out. There’s also a variety of strengthening exercises out there that can help you improve or maintain your knee health, especially if you run. And being active in general is good for your joints. https://gizmodo.com/10-horror-sequels-to-watch-on-peacock-2000652078
