Runners with noisy knees after surgery: Is it related to symptoms?

Abstract

Introduction: Knee crepitus can be defined as grinding, cracking or popping sounds in and/or around the knee joint (noisy knees). Many clinical practice guidelines include knee crepitus as a diagnostic criterion for knee osteoarthritis. In the clinical setting, patients frequently ask whether they should be concerned about crepitus, and may develop maladaptive beliefs and movement behaviours attempting to avoid the noise. We aimed to explore whether knee crepitus is associated with clinical outcomes in runners with a history of knee surgery, a population known to be at risk of early osteoarthritis.