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Cracking in the joints is a phenomenon that both adults and children face. Most often, a person notices that his fingers are crunching. It seems like a harmless natural process. But it’s not quite like that.
A crunch can be observed not only in the fingers, but also in the hip, knee, elbow, shoulder and other joints. In part, this is indeed a common occurrence that does not bring anything bad to our body. Such a crunch is called physiological.
However, there is also a pathological crunch, which indicates a problem with the health of the joints and may portend the development of some serious disease. Distinguishing a pathological crunch from a physiological one is not always easy on its own. Usually pathological crunch is observed too often and occurs even with the slightest movement. In addition, such a crunch may be accompanied by additional symptoms, such as swelling, fluid accumulation in the joint, acute, dull or aching pain, redness, stiffness of movements, and others.
Causes of crunching in the joints
Physiological crunch in the joints occurs in adults and children and can be caused by the following reasons:
Carbon dioxide gas accumulates in the cavity of the joints and, after falling back, a popping sound is heard, which is perceived by us as a crunch in the joints.
With sudden movements, a ligament can touch the protruding area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe bone, which will lead to a crunch.
Joint hypermobility. Too high joint mobility is considered the norm only in children and adolescents. If, in the process of formation of bone, cartilage tissue and joints, they are not replaced by stronger and less mobile ones, then this will be a reason to visit a doctor. Since in some cases this will indicate a genetic predisposition to joint diseases, which can lead to the development of pathologies in the future.
Pathological crunch in the joints in most cases indicates problems with the health of the joints and can occur for the following reasons:
The development of inflammatory processes in the jointsand diseases associated with them. The most common inflammatory disease of the joints is bursitis. This pathology occurs due to injury or infection and affects the synovial joint bag. Other inflammatory diseases are also common, such as tendinitis that affects the tendons, or systemic joint pathologies. The latter include arthritis: infectious, gouty and rheumatoid. Inflammatory processes cause a crunch as follows: due to the swelling of the affected tissues, the ligaments of the joint cling to the bulges of the bones during movement, as a result of which a clicking sound is formed. The pathological nature of the crunch is evidenced by the pain that accompanies each click at the slightest activity.
Osteoarthritis. This disease begins to develop either after an injury, or in the process of aging of the body. Osteoarthritis disrupts the functioning of the interarticular cartilage, which causes clicks during movement. Osteoarthritis in most cases affects the joints of the fingers, knees, hips and elbows.
Salt deposits in the synovial (periarticular) bag. Microcrystalline arthritis can also cause joint cracking. This is primarily due to the fact that due to inflammation and irritation, the surface of the joint is transformed, becoming more rough. This leads to the appearance of a crunch when moving.
Injuries. With frequent damage to the same joint or a single, but serious injury, various pathologies can develop. Most often we are talking about the meniscus of the joint, microcracks and other problems that cause a crunch and a prerequisite for the development of serious diseases in the future, for example, post-traumatic arthrosis.
Crunch in the knee joint
When it comes to crunching in the joints, most often it concerns the knee. The fact is that a person is designed in such a way that the maximum load falls just on the knee joint. This causes not only the rapid wear of the cartilaginous tissues of the knee, but also a high risk of overloading the joint, its trauma.
The risk group of people who are at risk of injury and damage to the knee are primarily athletes, workers who endure strong physical exertion (builders, loaders, etc.), as well as people leading a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle.
The health of the joints is ensured just by the fact that the loads should be feasible and constant. The problem of excess weight is also important. Obese people should understand that this disease has many direct and indirect effects on the body. Excess weight is an additional load on the knee joint.
Do not underestimate the role of shoes worn by a person. The uncomfortable position of the foot, which is formed by improperly selected shoes, is not only a problem with the feet, but also the possibility of damage to the knee joint.
Crunch in the hip joint
A crunch in the hip joint is most often issued after a long sitting position. This problem is quite common and occurs most often due to the displacement of one or more cartilage.
A single or rare case of a crunch in the hip joint is normal. However, if the crunch is heard too often and / or is accompanied by swelling, pain, and other alarming symptoms, then you should think about the problem and consult a doctor.
A separate issue is a crunch in the hip joint in children. During the formation of bones and cartilage, this is normal, even if the crunch is issued quite often. But such a state should not continue after the completion of the strengthening of bone and cartilage tissue.
Treatment of crunch in the joints
Treatment of crunch in the joints begins with a diagnosis, which takes place in several stages:
Preliminary examination by a specialist: surgeon and / or orthopedist.
X-ray of the problem joint.
Ultrasound examination of tissues adjacent to the joint.
Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
Laboratory research. In most cases, they are limited to general analyzes, but additional studies may also be required (for example, in case of suspicion of the infectious nature of the disease).
Joint puncture test (taken when fluid accumulates).
Modern treatment involves complex therapy in solving the problem of crunching in the joints. Mostly a crunch in the joints is a symptom of arthritis or arthrosis. Therefore, the treatment regimen will almost always be the same, but edited according to the individual needs of the patient.
Modern medicine offers the following scheme for the treatment of crunch in the joints:
Drug treatment.
Therapy involves taking the following medications:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for internal and external use. Medicines are prescribed to relieve pain, inflammation and other symptoms that accompany the disease.
Chondoprotectors – consist of glucosamine and chondroitin. The effectiveness of the impact is achieved after taking the drug for 4-5 courses lasting 10 days.
Vitamin complex, useful trace elements – especially drugs that stimulate the regeneration of cartilage and bone tissues, such as calcium, zinc, phosphorus, B vitamins, as well as vitamins A and E.
Preparations containing hyaluronic acid. This substance is able to replace the synovial fluid that is produced by the human body. Synovial fluid serves as a natural lubricant that covers and envelops the joints, which prevents them from being erased and helps to stop the crunch during movement.
Non-drug treatment. The basis of non-drug treatment is physiotherapy and assistive devices such as bandages, crutches, etc.
The most common non-drug treatments are:
Physiotherapy is an integral part of joint rehabilitation. Physiotherapy involves the impact on the affected areas with one or more manipulations: shock wave therapy, magnetotherapy, UHF.
Manual therapy: healing, relaxing.
Reflexology.
vacuum therapy.
Therapeutic exercise, cycling, swimming.
Immobilization (immobilization) of the joints, if necessary. Immobilization is carried out by applying bandages, bandages, knee pads.
Diet
In addition, it is important to follow the diet. The cause of crunching in the joints is often excessive deposition of salts.
Therefore, it is necessary to normalize nutrition by forming the right diet:
Eliminate junk food from your diet as much as possible. Remove all fried, fatty, smoked, salty and canned.
The basis of nutrition should be based on dairy and sour-milk products. Cottage cheese, milk, kefir and other products contain a lot of calcium, which strengthens bone and cartilage tissue, and contributes to their accelerated rehabilitation.
Meat and fish dishes also have a positive effect on joint health. But it is better to cook such dishes by baking in the oven, boiling or steaming. Frying and smoking is strictly not recommended.
Vegetables and fruits contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, and therefore are an indispensable component of a proper diet.
Nuts, natural spices, greens also have a beneficial effect on the condition of bones, cartilage and tendons.
Timely diagnosis of the problem that causes a crunch in the joints, as well as complex treatment, can help and prevent the disease from developing to a severe stage. And constant feasible physical activity in combination with proper nutrition will strengthen not only the joints, but also human health in general.