This week, our ATG blog focuses on knee noise, what it is, and how you can reduce it. Knee noise can be scary, but it doesn’t mean you…
By Logan Kelly, July 8, 2023
Hello All,
My primary specialty is knee ability training and reversing knee pain. I am an ATG Certified L1 coach (1 of 2 in Ohio). ATG stands for Athletic Truth Group and was founded by Ben Patrick (KneesOverToesGuy on social media) with a focus on helping people get out of knee pain. To expose everyone to more of ATG/KOT, I will be summarizing articles written by Ben and other ATG coaches. This week we will be talking about “Knee Noise” Some of you might know this as that clicking or grinding sound.
This is something that I have plenty of experience with. Throughout most of high school and college, I would hear a click anytime I squatted or walked. However, I now only deal with this rarely, if not fully warmed up, but still; the psychological relief is amazing. Even Ben dealt with this issue while developing his KOT/ATG programming. And keep in mind that he also dealt with this pain for 10+ years and across 3 knee surgeries. However, after building up his knee health, he rarely hears any noise, although he has said he can still hear it in specific exercises. But there is a pattern with me, Ben, and all other knee success stories.
“GREATER PROTECTION = LESS NOISE”
The best part is that using the ROKP exercises that I’ve talked about in other blogs can be used to help reduce noise.
Typically what people have tried in the past, maybe even you have tried before, is to Google “knee noise” and what comes up is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). But the unfortunate truth is following that protocol will actually delay your healing. The original proponent and coiner of RICE, Dr. Gabe Merkin, has taken those statements back. In fact, applying heat (in moderation) helps to increase blood flow to the area, which provides fresh oxygen, blood, and nutrients.
The great news is that even if you are experiencing knee noise, this doesn’t mean your knees are any less functional. In fact, a study by Pazzinatto, Marcella Ferraz et al. found “Individuals with crepitus (knee noise) had a lower self-reported function, quality of life and higher pain tolerance compared to those without crepitus […] the presence of knee crepitus is not associated with an objective function or knee strength.”
What this means is that you are so much closer to overcoming that lingering knee pain than you think and close to having a better quality of life and knee health! In fact, if you Google “what is crepitus caused by” you’ll find that it’s air seeping into the knee joint (increased pressure). Strengthening the knee joint can help reduce this pressure. In conclusion, knee noise can be reduced or eliminated through strengthening. And you don’t have bad knees, just built-up pressure.
– Coach Logan
