Noisy joints and when to be concerned

As you move through the day, you may notice your joints snap, crackle, and pop concerningly loudly. By some estimates, twice as many women experience osteoarthritis (OA) and OA joint pain as men, and this difference, as a recent study found, is amplified during menopause.

So, what exactly is that crackling, creaky sound?

It’s called “crepitus” and it happens when air bubbles in the fluid that surrounds your cartilage gets released after certain movements. (Actually, chiropractors manually induce these air bubbles during a back-cracking.) Most of the time, it’s no big deal. If not caused by an injury, medical condition, or disease, crepitus is harmless. But, sometimes it could be a warning sound of a bigger problem. 

Why can noisy joints be painful?

On the other (creeky) hand, the noise could also be the result of arthritic damage. Arthritis can cause swelling that changes the way the joints move. Osteoarthritis (OA) is known as the wear-and-tear type of arthritis that typically affects people as they age. As joints rub together, the resulting breakdown of the cartilage causes swelling and pain. If the joint cushioning is destroyed, the crepitus sound will be the painful grinding of bone against bone.

Ways to protect your joints and ease arthritic pain

Getting regular exercise is crucial in keeping your joints protected. As we age, our joints naturally lose some of their cartilage, which can lead to pain, stiffness, and swelling. Motion is lotion for the body. Exercise helps to strengthen the muscles around your joints, which can help to stabilize and support them.

Here are 5 additional things you can do to help keep your joints healthy and mobile:

1. Maintain a healthy weight

Excess weight puts stress on your joints, which can lead to inflammation and pain.

2. Eat a healthy diet

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help to reduce inflammation.

3. Try supplements

While it is not for certain that supplements can fully de-creek your joints, two 2022 studies on collagen peptides reported promising results. One found that when paired with resistance training, collagen peptide supplementation can help promote connective tissue recovery, decrease pain, and improve strength and body composition. The other found that collagen-derived peptides may help in the prevention and treatment of tendinopathy – when muscle to bone becomes inflamed (though more research is needed).

4. Avoid overuse and repetitive motions

Repetitive motions can put stress on your joints and lead to pain. If you have a job that requires you to do a lot of repetitive motions, try to take breaks throughout the day to rest your joints.

5. Take breaks

When you’re sitting or standing for long periods of time, take breaks to get up and move around. This will help to keep your joints from getting stiff.

If you are experiencing noisy joints, see a doctor to understand the root cause and rule out any underlying medical conditions. The caveat here is that most doctors aren’t trained in menopause (a recent survey of OB/GYN residency programs finds that only 31.3% of programs had any type of menopause curriculum in their training). So, they may not consider the menopause connection without your sharing some evidence — like the study cited earlier — with them.