You might have heard that cracking your knuckles might give you arthritis. It is a myth, but if your joints have been cracking all of a sudden, you might be right to worry. Any of the joints can make a cracking sound. You may hear the sound while doing exercises or simply during a walk.
Joint cracking is medically known as crepitus and is not a cause of concern. Your joints contain synovial fluid that maintains lubrication. Moreover, it prevents your bones from grinding together. Synovial fluid comprises three gases; oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When these gases escape from the fluid, your joints make a cracking sound.
Why do my joints crack all the time?
You may blame synovial fluid for the cracking sound. But it is always better to keep an open mind to other causes so you can get the right treatment.
Here are the reasons that answer why the joints crack all the time.
If you notice frequent cracking of your joints, you may become concerned. However, if the cracking sound is accompanied by pain, it could be a cause of concern. Some reasons that make the joints crack include:
- Arthritis
If you experience pain and cracking joints simultaneously, it may occur because of arthritis. Arthritis damages the cartilage and bones and causes swelling between the joints. As a result, there is a change in the joint movements, and this change can cause an increase in joint cracking.
If you witness these symptoms, you must consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis. To know the exact causes, you may try to connect with a good Hospital doctors. We can diagnose the cause and find answers to ‘why do my joints crack and hurt all the time?’
- Injury
If you have started experiencing sudden cracking joints, it could be an old or new injury. If you had hurt your joints previously, you might hear a cracking sound. It could be due to the weak ligaments surrounding your joints. The ligaments might not have healed properly after the injury. However, if you have not sustained any injury, the pain and cracking sound may occur because of tendinitis or bursitis.
Tendinitis is a condition that causes pain, swelling, inflammation and cracking sounds around the joint. Why do my joints crack and hurt all the time? It could be tendinitis. It can affect any tendon of your body, but the major ones include:
- Elbow
- Shoulders
- Knees
- Wrists
Similarly, bursitis can also cause cracking joints. It occurs when the fluid-filled sacs called bursa become inflamed. It causes awkward movements in the joints and can result in restricted motion.
Both these joint conditions cause pain and tenderness around the joints. However, the pain may reduce after taking proper rest. If you wonder, “Why do my joints crack all the time?” it could be due to a previous or present injury. To know the exact reasons, you may contact any good Hospital. Visit us to learn everything about joint and muscle pain. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure, helpful medical care staff, and advanced equipment will ease your diagnosis process.
- Age
Why do all of my joints crack all the time? Ageing can cause various changes in your body. You can witness physical changes, including the cracking of your joints. As you age, collagen production decreases. So you may notice wrinkles and loose skin. Even the joints are surrounded by collagen, and when this wears away, the air bubbles in your joints increase. The increased air bubbles may cause a cracking sound when they get released.
However, if you want to age slowly and preserve your collagen levels, you must eat a vitamin C enriched diet. It is because vitamin C increases collagen synthesis. Moreover, it triggers the DNA to maintain intercellular collagen.
- Workouts
We all understand the importance of exercise, but sometimes, physical activities can cause cracking sounds. For example, when your tendon moves too quickly across your joint, you can feel the cracking or snapping sound. It may occur because of overexercising, overexertion, and tight muscle. However, you can avoid such sounds by stretching, warmup, or giving your body rest after exercises.
Why do my joints crack and hurt all the time? It may be because of your age.