If your knee sounds like it is made of rice bubbles every time you bend it or if your shoulder clicks or when you lift your arm, in most cases you shouldn’t start worrying unless those noises are accompanied by pain. The medical term for these noises is Crepitus. Crepitus is an umbrella term for all kinds of harmless noises produced by your joints and this phenomenon is far more common than you think.
Clunks however should be treated differently. Whether or not they are associated with pain, it is a good indication that your joint is not functioning well. In a healthy joint the tension in the surrounding muscles and connective tissue are finely balanced to produce efficient movement. Clunking often indicates the presence of damage in the joint or surrounding muscles and connective tissue, or you may have developed an imbalance where the muscles on one side of your joint are pulling it out of alignment.
If you heard noises like this from your car, you would take it straight to the mechanic for fear of it breaking down. Unfortunately, you can’t buy replacement parts for your body so it is well worth getting issues like this sorted as rapidly as possible. A good way to maintain healthy joints is to strengthen the muscles supporting them. Targeted strength training can make a difference no matter what level of condition you are in. An EP Group practitioner can work with you to devise a short program to get you out of pain or keep you “clunk-free”.
