What's the noise at the joints

Have you ever noticed the noise of the joints? Sometimes when you make a fist, your knuckles will make a "click" sound, sometimes when you climb stairs, your knees will "crack" rhythmically, sometimes you stretch your waist, yawn, and your neck The back or jaws (temporomandibular joints) also make noises. Some people are even addicted to the noises of the joints, making the knuckles rattle from time to time. Why do joints make noise? What is going on in the end?

Friction and bounce

To understand the "language" of joints, we must first talk about their structure. The joints are the joints between the bones, and the movement of the human body is driven by many joints. Joints are generally composed of the articular surface, joint cavity, and joint capsule. The larger joints of the human body include shoulder joints, elbow joints, radial joints, hip joints, knee joints, and so on.

When the human body moves, the adjacent parts will make sound due to friction. For example, when you make a fist, you hear the sound of the interphalangeal joints, when you squat and stand, you hear the sound of the knee joints, and some people hear the sound of the neck when you turn the neck. These sounds are usually called "snap". In most people, this sound is not obvious, while in some people it sounds clearer. Especially for those who sit for a long time, less lubricating fluid is produced between the joints, which increases the friction loss of the joints and makes it easier to hear the bounce.

Recent foreign studies on joint snapping believe that a bladder at the joint holds two bones together. Inside the joint capsule is a lubricant called synovial fluid, which contains soluble gas. When the joint is stretched, it is actually compressing the joint capsule and the fluid in it, forcing the nitrogen-rich gas to escape from the lubricating solution. When the joint capsule releases "gas", a "crack" sound will be heard. After the gas is released, the flexibility of the joint becomes better. However, it is impossible to make the same joint "quack" immediately, because the released gas must be re-absorbed by the liquid before it can make a sound again. This process takes about 15-30 minutes.

Physiological snapping ≠ sit back and relax

Generally, joint snapping can be divided into physiological and pathological. Generally speaking, only bounces, no redness, no swelling, no pain, and no mobility impairments are physiological bounces. Physiological snaps are usually not harmful to the body and do not need special treatment, and there is no need to worry about it. However, those who like to make joint noises should still be vigilant. Studies have shown that occasionally artificial joint noises are not enough to cause articular cartilage damage, but if it does so for a long time, it can cause the joint capsule to relax, and joint instability may lead to osteoarthritis over time. occur. In a 35-year follow-up survey of 350 long-term knuckles, researchers found that these people generally have problems with enlarged knuckles and weaker grip.

With the development of social modernization, people who work at desks all year round (such as teachers, editors, computer entry staff, etc.) often have cervical spine bounce. This is to remind people not to maintain the same posture for too long, and to exercise more, preferably 15~ Get up and exercise for 30 minutes to relax the ligaments around the joints.

Pathological snapping is often accompanied by joint pain

Since the fall of last year, the 50-year-old Ms. Li found that the joint of her right index finger was not able to move well. When the index finger moved to a certain extent, she was stuck and could no longer move. If you move it vigorously, it will be like pulling the trigger of a gun, and it will suddenly bend over with a "quack" sound. Even the simple tasks of Chalet and washing dishes are affected, which annoys Ms. Li.

This kind of snapping accompanied by soreness, pain, restricted movement, and other uncomfortable symptoms may be caused by joint problems, and most of them are pathological snapping. This kind of pathological snapping is more common in the knee, ankle, hip, and shoulder joints, such as degenerative arthritis, cartilage softening, and rupture of the meniscus cartilage of the knee joint.

The pathological snapping that bothered Ms. Li was caused by friction between the flexor tendon of the hand and the hyperplastic and narrow sheath, which is also known as "tenosynovitis", also known as "trigger finger."

Patients with pathological bounces should go to the hospital for treatment in time, otherwise, serious consequences may occur. If the meniscus injury is not treated in time, it will aggravate the abrasion of the cartilage, and the cartilage damage is irreversible, which will cause inconvenience to the patient's walking, and may even lead to lifelong regret.

Bounce is closely related to age

It also has a lot to do with age to determine whether joint noises hide health problems. Generally speaking, young people’s joint humming is mainly due to physiological reasons, unless there is trauma; while older people have "quacking", they must consider whether there are local joint diseases, such as ligament strain, bone spurs, etc...

Elderly people who experience joint irritation should go to a regular hospital for examination as soon as possible to find out the real cause, and actively cooperate with the doctor for medication, local physical therapy, or other treatment.

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