Is knee clicking bad? The name of this clicking sound is crepitus. There are different terms for the sounds around the knee: popping, snapping, catching, clicking, crunching, cracking, crackling, creaking, grinding, grating, clunking.
Clicks can be physiological (normal) or pathological.
In most cases, the sound is physiological, and there is no need to be concerned. Physiological noise is not related to a history of injury, and there is no aggravation of sounds and other symptoms.
It is essential to make a difference between pathological and physiological. Careful assessment of noise characteristics and accompanying symptoms can be distinguishing between normal and pathological noises.
Pain, effusion, swelling, and a history of injury are all symptoms of pathological noise. It is characterized by progressive aggravation.