The hip joint clicks when walking - what is dangerous and what to do

Every adult has encountered this phenomenon, when a leg clicks, at least once in their life. This may be a temporary phenomenon, or it may be a permanent symptom, which indicates serious pathological changes occurring in the joint area. Why your legs click when walking and how you can get rid of this annoying symptom will be discussed in this article.

The most common diseases and pathologies of the musculoskeletal system are described here, in which an unpleasant clicking sound may occur during lifting, flexion and extension of the lower limb.

It is important to understand that extraneous sounds when moving limbs are always a pathology. In a normal physiological state, the musculoskeletal system works smoothly and without any noise. If clicking occurs, the first thing you should do is urgently consult a doctor. Conduct an examination, promptly identify developing diseases and begin effective treatment.

It is impossible to cope with such a symptom at home, without medical help. There are no miracle cures. Any ointments and pharmacological preparations will give you only a temporary effect. Clicking sounds can be completely eliminated only after examination, diagnosis and elimination of the cause of the detected disease.

What do joints complain about?

One of the main reasons for cracking in the joints is wear and tear of the cartilage. Throughout life, the human body changes and is subjected to various stresses: during physical labor or sports, during pregnancy. The body grows, which means its mass increases, and accordingly, the pressure on the bones and their joints increases. Considering that constant friction during movement is added to this, it is natural that the cartilage tissue gradually becomes thinner, as a result of which the corresponding sounds appear. Other causes of creaking in joints include:

1. Air bubbles. The place of their appearance is synovial fluid. Periodically, under the influence of pressure during movement, the bubbles explode. This process is accompanied by a crunch.
2. Dehydration. Lack of water in the body negatively affects the joint capsule. It dries out, that is, the joints simply lack lubrication. And in this state, “dry” friction of the surfaces occurs, which can accelerate their wear.
3. Physical activity without preliminary preparation, that is, without stretching and warming up. In this case, not only clicks are heard, but pain is also felt.
4. Infections that provoke intense removal of water from the body. In addition to the fact that the disease causes a condition typical of dehydration, the risk of infection of the joint capsule also increases, and this is already dangerous.
5. Sudden movements in the joints. In this case, the sound occurs as a result of direct contact of the ligaments with the bone.
6. Increased mobility, which is normal for adolescents between 16 and 18 years of age. Gradually, as the maturation process completes, the joints will become less mobile.
7. Inflammatory processes and diseases arising from this. Then the sound acts as a symptom of incipient arthritis, bursitis or tendinitis.
8. Arthrosis, which affects the cartilage of the fingers, elbows and knees.
9. Injuries. Because of them, microcracks appear, and a meniscus rupture is also possible.
10. Salt deposits. Salts gradually fill the periarticular bursa. Over time, they cause irritation and inflammation on the articular surfaces.
11. Changes in the location of ligaments and tendons. Because of this, the shape of the cartilage is deformed.
12. Heredity.
13. Unbalanced diet.
14. Unfavorable environmental conditions.
15. Bad habits.
16. Excess protein in the diet. Many athletes make this mistake. They forget that protein dries up synovial fluid.
17. Lack of movement. With a sedentary lifestyle, the rate of blood circulation decreases and the volume of protein in the body increases.
18. Hip dysplasia, which is periodically detected in children. This is a hip dislocation. It is most often diagnosed in infants, but the pathology also occurs in adolescents during the period when the musculoskeletal system is developing.

Another reason why joints click is that they are simply jammed. This also happens. A one-time failure often passes without consequences. But whether this is so, or whether there are still problems, is impossible to understand on your own. You need to see a doctor.

Clarifying the diagnosis by sound localization: when joints hurt and crack, the first thing to do is to determine where exactly it is bothering you, where the sound is coming from. The accuracy of the diagnosis depends on this.

If bones crunch all over your body, the reasons can be very different. For example, based on the results of the examination, the patient may be diagnosed with salt deposits, metabolic disorders, or hormonal imbalance.

Treatment is prescribed only after the cause of the cracking joints throughout the body has been reliably established. Perhaps you just need to adjust the therapeutic regimen that was prescribed to treat the existing disease. Joint problems occur due to the use of glucocorticoids and hormones. Sometimes it turns out that to normalize the condition, it is enough to saturate the body with calcium, trace elements and vitamins.

Why do my legs click when I walk?

The question of why the legs click begins to torment a person, usually at the moment this symptom, unpleasant from an aesthetic point of view, occurs. After all, extraneous sounds can be heard by everyone around them, and if a person is in a public place, then he not only fears for his health, but also feels embarrassed.

Most often, the leg clicks when walking, and the symptom appears strictly when the limb is flexed or extended at the hip, knee or ankle joint. Therefore, clicks are heard rhythmically in time with walking. No amount of twitching, turning or other tricks help. The sound is maintained or enhanced. An attempt to slightly change the range of motion gives only temporary results. As soon as the amplitude of mobility is automatically restored, extraneous sounds will immediately return.

What is it and why can such an irritating symptom occur? There are a number of objective reasons for it:

1. damage to the tendon or ligamentous apparatus (often, in the absence of timely and complete rehabilitation after an injury, scarring occurs with the formation of rough connective tissue - it is this that, when rubbing against the bone surface, makes a characteristic clicking sound);
2. deformation of muscle fiber with the formation of fibrous scars (most often a consequence of traumatic rupture);
3. destruction and deformation of bone tissue (with complete destruction of the cartilage tissue in the joint cavity, the bones of the heads begin to knock when moving against each other and make a characteristic unpleasant sound);
4. stretching of the joint capsule, due to which instability of the position of the heads of the bones and their pathological movement in the horizontal plane occurs;
5. a decrease in the level of synovial fluid and its density under the influence of traumatic and biochemical factors (cavities filled with air are formed in the joint capsule, they cause crepitus (creaking) and clicking when walking);
6. foreign bodies in the joint (usually lipid (fatty) plaques, bone fragments after fractures and cracks, blood clots, osteophytes, etc.) - they cause not only clicking sounds, but also severe pain with every movement.

These are not all the potential reasons why your leg clicks when walking. Depending on the location of the unpleasant symptom, there may be specific factors associated with the anatomical structure of a particular bone joint. So, when a similar sound appears in the knee area, it is worth taking into account the complex structure of this joint. Instability of the position of the patella and the development of lipid damage to the lateral joint capsules (bursae) are the most common reasons why the leg clicks in the knee.

But clicks in the ankle joint almost always indicate a scar change in the tendon and ligament tissue. And in most cases, this is a consequence of repeated injury in the form of a sprained ankle.

The exact cause of clicking can only be determined by visiting a doctor. It is necessary to conduct an X-ray examination, MRI, ultrasound. Only with the help of the results obtained will the doctor be able to make an accurate diagnosis. It is almost impossible to independently identify the cause. You can take advantage of a special offer from our manual therapy clinic - sign up for a free initial consultation with an orthopedist. The doctor will conduct an examination, make a preliminary diagnosis and tell you what examinations you will need to do to clarify it.

If you have a crunch in your shoulder

Why does a person's bones crunch in the forearm area? Due to lack of calcium and water, due to weakness of the ligaments and the body as a whole. If this is the cause of the problem, then the crunch will be heard only when the patient raises his arms up or spreads them in different directions.

If your bones often crack during normal movement, it may be due to age-related deformities or excessive physical activity or overexertion.

But, if there was a previous injury, the sound may indicate the development of complications. If, in addition to crunching, you are worried about pain, you need to be examined to rule out arthrosis, osteoarthritis, arthritis, and rheumatism.

When your knees creak

If your knee joints crunch when walking, then it’s time to take care of them. All their lives they are exposed to serious stress, from the fact that they hold the weight of almost the entire body, ending with overloads during active movements (running, jumping). The knees are one of the most vulnerable parts of the skeleton.

When all the joints of the legs click and crunch, at best, the cause of the pathology lies in wearing incorrectly selected shoes or being overweight. Shoes can be changed and weight can be reduced. It's worse if the problem is salt deposits. Although in this case, at the initial stage, you can still improve your health by adjusting your diet.

If the joint is very crunchy in only one knee, they look for damage to the bones or cartilage tissue. If pain is added to this symptom, the patient is checked for the presence of flat feet or osteophyte. Obesity can also trigger this problem.

In cases where, in addition to the indicated symptoms, swelling appears, you need to make sure that the inflammatory process has not begun. If you miss it, rheumatism, chondromatosis, bursitis or tendonitis may develop over time.

Clicking in the hip joint

Athletes and dancers, people engaged in physical labor, often hear their hip joints crunching. The sound occurs when the tendons come into contact with bone tissue during movement. But the problem also arises from dehydration or excess protein. In such cases, doctors will look for arthritis, arthrosis or other inflammatory processes.

Crunching in the hands

Those who have a habit of cracking their fingers should forget about it as soon as possible. A crunch initially indicates the presence of pathology. If you continue in the same spirit, you can injure the joint or damage the periarticular tissue. Sometimes inflammation even develops. The latter is especially dangerous, since the inflammatory process from the fingers will quickly spread up the arms. The more joints that make the sound, the worse it is.

This is fine!

Inside the joints there is synovial fluid, in which gas bubbles burst from time to time. This phenomenon is absolutely normal, provided that this happens no more than 3-4 times per hour and is not accompanied by pain or other unpleasant sensations.

Doctors sometimes use another term – joint hypermobility. It refers to the innate ability of connective tissue to be flexible and mobile. The fingers, legs or arms themselves take on an unnatural position, and when returning to the starting position they make a characteristic crunch. If there is no pain or discomfort, there is no need to panic. However, if the symptom recurs with enviable regularity, it would not be superfluous to consult a specialist.

The crunching of the joints of the legs is especially dangerous: the load on them is several times higher than on the arms

Diagnostics

If your joints are cracking, then a therapist will help you determine which doctor to see. He will cure some diseases himself. If the therapist suspects diseases of the joints or connective tissues, he will refer you to a rheumatologist. If there is a history of trauma, he will advise you to consult a traumatologist.

During the appointment, the doctor interviews the patient and examines him. The specialist checks how mobile the joint is and whether it is very bothersome. The doctor calculates BMI through the ratio of the patient’s height and weight, and is interested in his diet and physical activity.

Treatment of the spine and joints always begins with a thorough examination. Sometimes it turns out that the crunching was caused by latent diseases. To figure out why all the joints began to crunch, the following is prescribed:

• general or biochemical blood test;
• general urine analysis;
• Ultrasound;
• radiography;
• CT;
• MRI;
• puncture.

A blood test helps identify the presence of inflammation. The composition of urine determines the excess of salts and protein. Uric acid levels will help detect gout. If autoimmune diseases are suspected, an analysis is taken for antibodies to one's own cells, as well as for specific markers of inflammation.

Using ultrasound, the structure of the joint and its functionality are studied, and using x-rays, pathological changes and traumatic damage to bones and surrounding tissues are detected. The puncture allows you to perform microscopic and bacteriological examinations of the intra-articular fluid.

What do we have to do?

If you experience a clicking sound, regardless of your age, you should immediately consult an orthopedist. The doctor will prescribe an x-ray, MRI, CT, ultrasound examination. Based on the results of their conduct, he will establish an accurate diagnosis. This will allow for effective treatment that will stop the pathological process of tissue destruction.

Without timely treatment, you risk remaining disabled or needing surgery. Don't be irresponsible about your health. Seek medical help in a timely manner.

In Moscow, you can get an individual consultation with an experienced orthopedist completely free of charge. To do this, make an appointment with a doctor at the “Free Movement” manual therapy clinic using the link https://freemove.ru/services/konsultatsiya-ortopeda.php

How are crackling joints treated?

There are four ways to get rid of crunching in the joints - diet, medication support, physical therapy and manual therapy. Your doctor may recommend one or all of these methods.

Diet

Patients are prescribed a low-carbohydrate diet. It is advisable to forget about baked goods and sweets, carbonated drinks and potatoes. You should even give up sweet fruits. There are quite enough carbohydrates in porridges and whole grain breads.

You need to eat meat with veins, jellied meat, and dishes that contain gelatin. But an excess of animal fats should not be allowed. It is necessary to get into the habit of eating apples and seaweed, fish and seafood. To prevent dehydration, it is important to drink at least 2.5 liters of clean water or unsweetened tea every day.

Medicines

When joints click, the doctor decides how to treat the disease, taking into account the root cause of the pathology. Inflammation is relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Then the patient is offered to use Diclofenac, Meloxicam, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Indomethacin or Ketoprofen. If the situation is stalemate, steroid drugs are prescribed. The dosage of Prednisolone or Methotrexate is determined by your doctor.

If you need to replenish fluid in the body, medications containing hyaluronic acid are prescribed. To restore cartilage tissue, chondroprotectors are taken. The course of treatment lasts 3–6 months, so it is worth stocking up on Artracam, Artradol or Structum in advance.

Physiotherapy

For joint diseases, the use of physiotherapeutic methods is allowed both in the acute period and during remission. With the help of physiotherapy, inflammation is relieved and medications penetrate directly into the tissues. As a result of the use of physiotherapy, blood supply improves and metabolic processes are normalized.

Patients are often prescribed exercise therapy, electrophoresis with drugs, magnetic therapy, and reflexology. Paraffin therapy, UHF and amplipulse help well. If possible, provide mud therapy.

It is advisable to visit a rehabilitation specialist. He will select the optimal training regimen and tell you what is best to do for a specific diagnosis: therapeutic exercises or swimming, cycling or sculpting. If necessary, a rehabilitation specialist will help with choosing an orthosis.

Manual techniques

Patients are prescribed massage sessions (therapeutic, restorative or relaxing). According to indications, pneumomassage, lymphatic drainage and kinesiotherapy are recommended.

How to prevent the development of arthrosis when crunching occurs in the joints

Even if the crunch in your case is not accompanied by pain, swelling and other alarming signs, do not ignore the problem. It's time to think about prevention:

• take care of a balanced diet - a harmonious combination of protein foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grains;
• give up a sedentary lifestyle in favor of reasonable physical activity;
• avoid injuries, which, like nothing else, contribute to disruption of the cartilage layer, deficiency of synovial fluid and inflammatory processes.

Doctors recommend that those who are faced with joint diseases go in for swimming - the safest sport. During such loads, there is no mutual pressure between the articular cartilages, and the muscles relax. But there are also other reasons to go to the pool, and not, for example, the tennis court or football field:

If one crunch is not enough and the disease has imperceptibly turned into arthrosis, it is too early to give up, as well as to turn to alternative medicine for help. Modern techniques allow people, even with advanced forms of this disease, to lead a normal lifestyle.

Instead of painkillers and chondroprotectors, intra-articular injections of Noltrex are increasingly being used for this purpose today, and this is quite justified. The synthetic drug is hypoallergenic, combines perfectly with the tissues of the human body and brings a long-term effect.