Cracking noise in knee when standing
 

Recently, when I get out of the saddle my left knee makes a "cracking" sound similar to the sound when cracking yr hand knuckles.
In a 3 min standing session it "cracks", maybe 3 times consecutively on the down stroke. There is no associated pain. It has never happended when I'm seated.
Usually, it happends only on the first out of the saddle session. Now it's happening on later sessions.
I've not changed anything on my bike setup.
I'm using Look pedals with cleats with 6 deg float.
I've done at least a 15 min warmup.

Is this a warning sign for something?
Has anyone has a similar experience?

Yes, in my case, audible cracking and popping as a direct result of osteoarthritis in the right knee. An X-ray at an Orthopedic clinic can confirm.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6fd98c353c.jpg

I have osteoarthritis on my fingers and left elbow from over use. Sometimes this areas are painful.
My knees don't bother me even after long riders (>200k). They get a little stiff, but that's all. My cadence is around 65 rpm on hills unless it is very steep, and then it drops to 55.
Is the popping continuous? Seated also?
Do yr knees bother you after a ride?

No, no popping at all that I can hear or feel when cycling. Cycling is the best thing ever for my knees; no pain during or after. Actually, the popping and pain from weight bearing movement (work) has greatly diminished since treatment with prescription NSAIDS and steroid injections. It's about time for another shot in a week or two. Cycling and weight loss gets a lot of the credit as well though. I do have a knee replacement in my future I'm sure, trying to make to into retirement first. Of course everybody's mileage will vary.

The knee stiffness you mention, in my experience, is directly related to swelling/inflammation. My body trying to immobilise the joint I suppose. I could never use foot retention, that ship sailed years ago. It's pinned platforms & toothy rat traps for me.

As I get older and since I'm pretty much retired, I don't move my joints near as much to their limits as I previously did. I do find that they get stiff and pop or feel more like gravel is in them.

Thankfully this has not been in my knees. But they do, as they have most of my life give a loud audible pop when I squat down the first time. I try to move all my joints throughout their full range when I think of it.

I've considered going to a gym as certain resistance exercise will help. However the COVID thing needs to get under control first.

No idea if this might be some of your issue or not.

It could be simply lack of appropriate exercise, though osteo is probably involved. Cycling only moves our joints through a small range of motion, only in one plane, and at rather low forces. That's not good in the long run. I suggest attacking on several fronts at once and not bothering with the scientific method here. You can worry about that later, if a combination of things works. I figure I don't have all that much time to fool around with stuff.

1) Stretching, to move your joints through ranges of motion they seldom experience: These stretches have worked for me: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...l#post15372967

2) Training. Try doing deep squats, all the way down until your hams bottom out on your calves. If you feel discomfort on the way down, definitely don't go as far as pain. Stop at discomfort, and try to gradually increase squat depth over time. Try sets of 12, no weight. A good way to start out is to sit down far enough to just touch a chair, then back up.

3) Supplements. Many people respond to supplements, some don't. My wife and I happen to be responders. 1g glucosamine sulfate 2Xday, 1g MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) 1Xday. It takes at least a month of this before anything noticeable happens.

If nothing hurts at all you have nothing to worry about and nothing to do. Pain is the body's indicator of problems.

So my wife shouldn't have gone through chemo and double mastectomy since she didn't have any pain caused by the cancerous lumps?

I lost my bride of 33 years to breast cancer 19 months ago. She battled it for 10 years, you are comparing apples to oranges. Diagnosing things on the internet is stupid. Real problems need real doctors.

So sorry! There's never a good time to suffer such a loss, but now must be horrible.

IMO a cracking noise in the knee is a real problem. The OP notices it, i.e. it is real. If one were to see a doctor for such a thing it had better be a sports doctor because most docs don't know much about stuff that doesn't kill you. Personally, I prefer self-experimentation first. If that doesn't work then I see a doctor.

By telling the OP that no pain means no problems, I consider that much like an internet diagnosis. And certainly I've probably been just as guilty of that in the past.

Essentially I perceived your comments as stating we all need to "man up". If no pain quit seeking answers. There wasn't any apples or oranges in your comments for me to compare to. Just what I considered wrong sage advice.

In this case a person's knee like a runner ( yes I do that) can be a problem. The question you have to ask is when does it start? Does it get worse as the activity goes on? Does it get better as activity continues? Without any pain it becomes difficult to judge but generally with the knee it means some form of soft tissue damage. With that generally comes pain at some point. Somethings actually will improve as you run bursitis and plantar fasciitis can be that way. I had plantar fasciitis years ago on my left foot. It would hurt pretty bad starting to run and I would limp a bit but sure enough after about 1/2 mile it would go away and I could run fine. I then would creep back after running walking around but more I used it the better it tended to get. Doctor told me classic symptoms for some folks. After about 4 months it stopped happening and I have not had it since.

The knee one has to go back a see if they specifically did something to cause damage or tear. Sometimes it is subtle and you don't realize it then on re-checking you find you did something different. Simply hearing a cracking does not mean all that much until pain appears. I am jazz guitarist and I can crack my knuckles and making all kinds of popping sounds with my hands stretching them. This is simply joint noise from parts rubbing and sometimes air in the joints that is moving. Not necessarily an issue. My hands do not hurt doing this and it stretches the joints to keep them limber. I have no pain with it and play fine.

In the end as I said one should never take any information on the internet and especially this forum as medical information, Go to a doctor and get at least a professional answer. We all know that doctors do not always have any answer and they are simply going through the diagnosis part of medicine. Doctors have a license to practice medicine and they practice it but far from perfect. Does the knee hurt if the OP is riding out of the saddle? Does it hurt if they try and sprint from a hard gear or does it hurt and make noise spinning in high cadence.

In the end we must be our own advocates and see how far we can take information about our body to the doctor. I will stand by my premise that pain is the most important indicator and will tell you much. In the absence of pain then the disease is much more difficult to find and sometimes till it it too late. That is a real fact that is why some preventive test are done because at first no pain no symptoms. High blood pressure and heart disease are some of these types, as well as many types of cancer. At least a knee cracking noise while cycling is very specific so that hopefully gets pinpointed faster.

I've taking taking glucosamine-chodrotin for years. Now I take 1X2days, MSM with tumeric 1Xday basically for my finger osteoarthritis. I don't know if I've slowed it down. Orthopedic doctors doubt whether they help.

I have no comparison, but on the other hand I don't have any knee problems even though my climbing cadence is sometimes low.
I suspect this "cracking-poping" noise in the knee is caused by either insufficient warm up or increased cleat float (4.5 to 6).

You don't mention doing those stretches. If you're not, start. That's actually the most likely fix. I don't think cleat float has anything to do with it. Watch your feet. Do they twist back and forth? Mine don't move at all when I pedal and I have good float, just don't need it. I think I would do fine on no-float.

I used to have a noisy knee that eventually went away. As in Carbonfiberboy's remedy, I do knee exercises and much stretching.

Not to take away from the advice above, however a creaking or cracking sound is not natural (duh) and would recommend seeing an orthopedist for X-rays and evaluation. Until then I would not stand in the pedals or do any activity that promotes said sounds. Hopefully it is nothing to be concerned about, but would be a shame to ignore it and have it turn into something you really have to be concerned about.

My wife had a knee replacement (cyclist, runner, skier) when the cartilage was ground down to nothing. She was a compulsive exerciser and didn’t stop until there was no return. It was no small surgery.

At at least a medical opinion is good insurance.

I hope yr wife is back to her exercise routine, and I know what you mean about "no small surgery. I had 2 friends that went through knee replacement surgery this summer, and the recovery was very painful.

I rode today and did my regular standing sections on the same route, and my knee did not "pop" once. So I'll wait and see how it goes before I visit an orthopedists.
Because of the lockdown cannot change the route.

Looks like mine used to,, Had both replaced..

If I went to the doctor every time a joint popped or cracked, I'd have to pay him rent.

I have developed an audible popping under my right knee cap occasionally when I stand up from sitting (not on my bike). It doesn't hurt but it was a little alarming because it feels like something is catching and might eventually get painful. I consulted Dr, Google and read about this noise potentially originating from meniscus tears that call for attention. I saw my orthopedist who told me not to worry about my under the knee cap popping. The meniscus tear popping (that is worrisome) will be over on the side/back by the ACL.

means your getting old

I`ve been getting these shots in my knees since 2007. For me they`re great! Twice a year, every six months.

https://www.synviscone.com/what-is-synvisc-one

https://www.jnjmedicaldevices.com/en...ght-hyaluronan


I`ve had about 97 injections in my right knee, and about 38 in my left knee. That`s counting all the Orthovisc`s and a few Cortisone combimed.

Absolutely the best advice here. It's insanity to get your medical advice from a cycling forum.

Very sorry for your loss.

J.

Are you sure the noise is from your knee?

I spent weeks perplexed with a BB noise that turned out to be a saddle rail noise.

Just sayin...:innocent: