1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

How can I handle crackling in joints?

Posted by pricklingbodysense @pricklingbodysense, May 24 6:56am

Hello, this might be a trivial issue. Yet it raises in me concern.

I am 25 years old. And I have unfortunately been suffering from depression and anxiety from unfortunately an early age.

I have done a lot of work to get into a better mental state. Fortunately that has paid off, some aftermath is still there. Just being human, we have to take care of our mental health.

Still: My body has suffered some consequences - with stiff and tight muscles.

Now when I move sometimes - like today - it cracks a lot in my hips and joints. Just making a small movement makes it crack in my body. When I move around - multiple places get triggered and make a lot of sound.

Just my knee can crack in two different places when moving it once. And when I got out from bed today, my whole body felt like a never-giving-up choir.

This makes me feel like my body is not healthy, and that I will or have aged way to quick. I am worried about the state of my body, and that I will experience deterioration quicker than normal - and loss of function.

This really bothers me.

I do now meditate. And try to eat healthy, vegetables and non-inflammatory food. Are there any (other) things that can help me?

And is this a real concern - or is it more of a mental state (worry), wherein the problem lies? Is this me having anxiety or shame - or is it really a problem to be addressed at a physical level?

Thank you very much for reading,
Sincerely
Sebastian

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gravity3 | @gravity3 | May 24 8:57am

Hi Sebastian,
It is so great that you are in tune with your body and want to explore and understand what it tells you and what it may need to support you. Your feelings and observations are just that.......nothing you should feel shame about. You are obviously a proactive young person. I wonder if you have talked with you doctor about the stiffness and tightness in your body. You mentioned anxiety. One of the things that I noticed when I am anxious is that my body tightens and being in that state for an extended period can make my body sore. You said you are meditating and that is so useful for depression and anxiety. I wonder if a yoga or tai chi practice might be useful . Something gentle but useful for you and your body. Give yourself some pats on the back for being so aware. When I was your age....and I am 77 now..... I was completely out of touch with my body and feelings.

REPLY
1 reply
dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | May 25 6:09am

@pricklingbodysense
You may benefit from physical therapy or a personal trainer to give you a program to follow to improve mobility and strength. I’m not sure if this applies to you but with my struggle with deep depression the last few years, my health has deteriorated because I haven’t exercised much at all. This isn’t good for joints/muscles or mental health. Were you able to still get exercise and do you exercise now?

You may want to see your doctor to do some bloodwork to make sure you are not deficient in vitamins/minerals and you may also benefit from seeing a nutritionist/dietitian to help you improve your health through healthy eating and supplements. You may need a diet that helps reduce inflammation and supports joint health. I put multi collagen protein powder in my protein drinks which helps joints and hair/nails. My knees don’t crack as much when I squat and my skin, hair and nails are stronger and not as dry. There are other supplements the nutritionist/dietitian can recommend to help improve your health.

I believe you have an opportunity through exercise and nutrition that you can definitely improve your health. You are young and have time to improve your future health.

REPLY
1 reply
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | 6 days ago

Hey Sebastian,

Having dealt with depression all of my life (I'm 70 y/o), I can tell you that in my case at least, it's treatable. It started when I was 19.

I took up long-distance running at age 30, and that really helped depression to decrease dramatically. It doesn't have to be running. Any type of exercise that gets your heart going should help.

Exercise and stretching will also likely help with the popping and cracking. Most of the time, the sound is just the release of gas trapped between bones - think of cracking your knuckles. Again, exercise and especially stretching should minimize some of that, although from what you describe, a trip to your doctor is warranted.

Hope this helps!

Joe

REPLY
1 reply
loriesco | @loriesco | 5 days ago

Your question is best asked to doctors and therapist who deal with subluxation release. There are many different kinds and probably a professional can ascertain what is best for your body. 20 -30 years ago (I am 68 now) I had chiropractors which released the pockets but did not resolve them. The cracking had moved from my knuckles to my spine. About 10 years ago, I was having surgeries which eliminated the problem entirely. Two years ago, I had cervical spine surgery open parentheses two of them) and I had a horrible subluxation in my neck which needed to be released by a professional. It wasn’t painful at all. It just made the most horrible pop noise Because my neck is so close to my ears. He did it twice and it hasn’t returned. I needed some adjustment after the surgeries and then I strengthen the muscles around my neck spine so everything was good to go. You can Google on the Internet, why the subluxations happen and what can be done to resolve them and then my suggestion is to try a variety of methods and always keep a primary care doctor in the loop if you have degenerative disc disease and ligament issues as you age. Involve a variety of therapist and doctors so that you figure out the best answer. Some pockets and subluxations are part of being hyper mobile a normal part of life and some need to be dealt with with therapy and exercise and a small amount needs surgery. As far as I can tell from my 35 years of dealing with this stuff, my body needed to get adjusted, and then I needed to strengthen the ligaments/muscles around the joints strongerto hold the hyper mobile joints in place. So it takes the opposite action of passive behavior and continued repetitive actions.Good luck!

REPLY
2 replies
pricklingbodysense | @pricklingbodysense | 5 days ago
In reply to @gravity3 "Hi Sebastian, It is so great that you are in tune with your body and want..." + (show)
@gravity3

Hi Sebastian,
It is so great that you are in tune with your body and want to explore and understand what it tells you and what it may need to support you. Your feelings and observations are just that.......nothing you should feel shame about. You are obviously a proactive young person. I wonder if you have talked with you doctor about the stiffness and tightness in your body. You mentioned anxiety. One of the things that I noticed when I am anxious is that my body tightens and being in that state for an extended period can make my body sore. You said you are meditating and that is so useful for depression and anxiety. I wonder if a yoga or tai chi practice might be useful . Something gentle but useful for you and your body. Give yourself some pats on the back for being so aware. When I was your age....and I am 77 now..... I was completely out of touch with my body and feelings.

Jump to this post

Thank you very much for the praise, and for a thoughtful comment. I will definitely meditate further, and also look into tai chi

REPLY
pricklingbodysense | @pricklingbodysense | 5 days ago
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@pricklingbodysense You may benefit from physical therapy or a personal trainer to give you a program..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@pricklingbodysense
You may benefit from physical therapy or a personal trainer to give you a program to follow to improve mobility and strength. I’m not sure if this applies to you but with my struggle with deep depression the last few years, my health has deteriorated because I haven’t exercised much at all. This isn’t good for joints/muscles or mental health. Were you able to still get exercise and do you exercise now?

You may want to see your doctor to do some bloodwork to make sure you are not deficient in vitamins/minerals and you may also benefit from seeing a nutritionist/dietitian to help you improve your health through healthy eating and supplements. You may need a diet that helps reduce inflammation and supports joint health. I put multi collagen protein powder in my protein drinks which helps joints and hair/nails. My knees don’t crack as much when I squat and my skin, hair and nails are stronger and not as dry. There are other supplements the nutritionist/dietitian can recommend to help improve your health.

I believe you have an opportunity through exercise and nutrition that you can definitely improve your health. You are young and have time to improve your future health.

Jump to this post

Thank you very much for your reply, Dly. I see that you comment a lot around here, and it is really appreciated. You help many people.

Sorry to hear about your deep depression, lots of good wishes. I am thankfully able to exercise well - am mobile and able to do most the things I want. I exercise with body weight exercises 2x a week, bike/run 1x a week, and try to play some tennis. I have high functionality in all of these - thankfully:)

I will definitely be looking into getting a personal trainer though, for the relief of my muscles and crackling.

And also - I will try to eat as anti-inflammatory as possible. That is a great goal for me.

Thank you again,
Sebastian

REPLY
1 reply
pricklingbodysense | @pricklingbodysense | 5 days ago
In reply to @heyjoe415 "Hey Sebastian, Having dealt with depression all of my life (I'm 70 y/o), I can tell..." + (show)
@heyjoe415

Hey Sebastian,

Having dealt with depression all of my life (I'm 70 y/o), I can tell you that in my case at least, it's treatable. It started when I was 19.

I took up long-distance running at age 30, and that really helped depression to decrease dramatically. It doesn't have to be running. Any type of exercise that gets your heart going should help.

Exercise and stretching will also likely help with the popping and cracking. Most of the time, the sound is just the release of gas trapped between bones - think of cracking your knuckles. Again, exercise and especially stretching should minimize some of that, although from what you describe, a trip to your doctor is warranted.

Hope this helps!

Joe

Jump to this post

Thank you very much.

I know my depression to be treatable. And my future is getting better and better.

I am really looking into making work-out a big part of life. Making it a grand project of mine will be a next big step.

Also I will mention my cracking the next time I see my doctor, and also explain the situation - and what you have told me to him.

Thank you very much, and all best wishes both now and forwards
Sincerely,
Sebastian

REPLY
1 reply
pricklingbodysense | @pricklingbodysense | 5 days ago
In reply to @pricklingbodysense "Thank you very much for your reply, Dly. I see that you comment a lot around..." + (show)
@pricklingbodysense

Thank you very much for your reply, Dly. I see that you comment a lot around here, and it is really appreciated. You help many people.

Sorry to hear about your deep depression, lots of good wishes. I am thankfully able to exercise well - am mobile and able to do most the things I want. I exercise with body weight exercises 2x a week, bike/run 1x a week, and try to play some tennis. I have high functionality in all of these - thankfully:)

I will definitely be looking into getting a personal trainer though, for the relief of my muscles and crackling.

And also - I will try to eat as anti-inflammatory as possible. That is a great goal for me.

Thank you again,
Sebastian

Jump to this post

Also - do you think that collagen (supplements) would be helpful to me (25 yr old) as it would be to other people?

REPLY
1 reply
pricklingbodysense | @pricklingbodysense | 5 days ago
In reply to @loriesco "Your question is best asked to doctors and therapist who deal with subluxation release. There are..." + (show)
@loriesco

Your question is best asked to doctors and therapist who deal with subluxation release. There are many different kinds and probably a professional can ascertain what is best for your body. 20 -30 years ago (I am 68 now) I had chiropractors which released the pockets but did not resolve them. The cracking had moved from my knuckles to my spine. About 10 years ago, I was having surgeries which eliminated the problem entirely. Two years ago, I had cervical spine surgery open parentheses two of them) and I had a horrible subluxation in my neck which needed to be released by a professional. It wasn’t painful at all. It just made the most horrible pop noise Because my neck is so close to my ears. He did it twice and it hasn’t returned. I needed some adjustment after the surgeries and then I strengthen the muscles around my neck spine so everything was good to go. You can Google on the Internet, why the subluxations happen and what can be done to resolve them and then my suggestion is to try a variety of methods and always keep a primary care doctor in the loop if you have degenerative disc disease and ligament issues as you age. Involve a variety of therapist and doctors so that you figure out the best answer. Some pockets and subluxations are part of being hyper mobile a normal part of life and some need to be dealt with with therapy and exercise and a small amount needs surgery. As far as I can tell from my 35 years of dealing with this stuff, my body needed to get adjusted, and then I needed to strengthen the ligaments/muscles around the joints strongerto hold the hyper mobile joints in place. So it takes the opposite action of passive behavior and continued repetitive actions.Good luck!

Jump to this post

Thank you.

I do not have hypermobile joints/ligaments.

However I can crack a lot. Great to hear the term for sublaxiations. It is helpful to have a term to refer and research into going forwards. I will further look it up.

Having exercises to strengthen the ligaments is something that I am really interested in. It seems like a logical and good way to proceed. Thanks!

All best wishes to you,
Sincerely,
Sebastian

REPLY
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