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[RC] More on Joint Clicking - Bruce Weary DCFrom our "Long and Boring Dept.", here's some more info on joint "noises." Crepitus is a term that generally refers more to a "grinding" sound within joints, much like many of you old campaigners hear when you rotate your neck. It is usually non-painful. This is most often from a "drying out" of the joints that accompanies degenerative joint disease. Normal joints, when filled with joint fluid have a friction coefficient five times smoother than a wet glass surface. This is why our joints, for the most part, move silently. When the joint "dries out" the cartilage surfaces become "washboardy," and thus create a grinding noise when they move on each other. Sometimes this noise improves or disappears, especially with treatment such as manipulation. Exercise alone won't do it. Other factors include old or new trauma, and hydration of the patient.Manipulation is famous for producing a "clicking "sound which is the result of rapid opening and closing of the joint surfaces. Since joints are sealed systems, any separation of the joint surfaces creates a vacuum, and the gasses dissolved in the joint fluid form a bubble that pops, creating a high-pitched "click." If several joints are moved at once, it sounds like someone biting a piece of celery, due to several clicks occuring in rapid succession. In reality, there is nothing being "cracked." This sound is different from the repetitive sound in a joint (for example in a horse that is clicking with every step) but is the same sound heard when someone pops their knuckles. It can't be reproduced for approximately another 20 minutes until the joint gasses disperse, and the joint can be popped again. Incidentally, it is a myth that popping your knuckles causes arthritis. In fact, it's good for them. They have actually studied people who are chronic "knuckle-poppers" and as they age, they are less likely to get arthritis in those joints. The repetitive click heard in a joint that is in constant motion ( like a trotting horse) is of no concern, unless it is painful, which is very rare. This is usually called a "synovial click" (probably not a good term) and can be from a ligament passing over some prominence or a bit of inert tissue entrapped in the joint. It also can go away, although there is no predictable specific remedy. And it's almost always nothing to worry about. There. Now can I go watch cartoons"? Dr Q, world renowned joint noise expert =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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