You stand up. Your knee cracks. You walk downstairs. Your knee pops. You work out. Ah, more music! What’s up with all that noise?

“Often it’s just the fluid that coats your joints being pushed through certain ranges of motion—and is totally benign,” explains Benjamin Butts, P.T., D.P.T., O.C.S., the regional director of Interstate Rehab in Buena Park, Calif. But other times that cracking and popping, coupled with consistent pain, can be a red flag that something is wrong.

Whether your noisy knee is just an annoyance or a sign of an underlying health issue, you don’t want to ignore it. Here’s what could be behind all those sounds, plus what you can do about it.

What causes knees to crack and pop?

If you find that your knee cracks and pops regularly, there could be an underlying issue, says Bert Mandelbaum, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and author of The Win Within: Capturing Your Victorious Spirit. Typically, it boils down to one of these causes:

Tight or misaligned muscles

Tight or misaligned muscles will pull the kneecap out of balance, explains David Reavy, P.T., O.C.S., director of React Physical Therapy in Chicago. Over time that imbalance can cause clicking or popping, which could be a potential problem, says Butts, “because the cartilage can become worn down and potentially lead to early onset arthritis, as well as many issues involved with deterioration of the joint.”

One muscle could also be a little stronger than the other and “the integrity and harmonization between the muscles, tendons, and bones is critical,” Dr. Mandelbaum says. If your muscles aren’t in the right spots, or if one is working a little harder than another, that can lead to cracking and popping.

Arthritis

Arthritis, which is an umbrella term for inflammation of the joints, can also lead to cracking, clicking, and popping, says Dr. Mandelbaum. This condition breaks down the padding within the joint due to erosion of the bone and cartilage, which interferes with the knee’s ability to glide and function smoothly. And that can lead to noise.

A previous knee injury

Often, people who had an injury in their teens or twenties will develop cracking and popping down the road, Dr. Mandelbaum says.

Loose cartilage

Cartilage is the one of the main types of connective tissue in your knee, and it’s responsible for lubrication and helping cushion your knee, explains Mark Slabaugh, M.D., an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center. If the cartilage around your knee is loose (say, due to arthritis or an injury), it prevents the joint from operating as well as it should, leading to popping and catching or locking.

How to stop knee cracking and popping

“If you’re having any type of pain, swelling, catching, or locking, those are warning signs that you need to see a doctor,” Dr. Slabaugh says. But if you’re not having any pain (you’re just annoyed by the noise), then “doing exercises on your own is very appropriate.”

To get started, you’ll need a few pieces of equipment you can easily find online.

Trigger Point  2.5-Inch Massage Ball
Trigger Point 2.5-Inch Massage Ball
$18 at Amazon$28 at Walmart$15 at Zappos

You’ll need a small massage ball for the calf release.

Kieba Lacrosse Balls, set of 2
Kieba Lacrosse Balls, set of 2

Some people prefer to use a lacrosse ball instead of a massage ball because they’re more firm. 

Trigger Point Performance 5-Inch Massage Ball
Trigger Point Performance 5-Inch Massage Ball

This larger ball is ideal for the hip flexor release. 

Trigger Point Performance Core Roller
Trigger Point Performance Core Roller

You’ll need a long foam roller like this one to do the IT band release. 

To alleviate the awkward noises and keep potential injuries at bay, try these exercises, courtesy of Eun Jung Decker at React Physical Therapy, three times a week for maximum results. (These should not hurt, and pain is your sign to stop.)

Calf release

calf release with massage ball
EUN JUNG DECKER/REACT PHYSICAL THERAPY

Self-myofascial release is a technique that helps relieve muscle tension and tightness through direct pressure. Stretching, by contrast, simply elongates the muscle. “Releasing allows you to activate tight muscles that are shifting the balance of your muscle structure,” says Reavy. Use this technique to release tight calf muscles and get your kneecap back on track.

How to do it:

  1. Sit with your calf on top of a lacrosse or massage ball.
  2. Stack your other leg on top of it, and roll yourself up and down over the ball.
  3. Once you find a spot that’s tender, stop and point your foot up and down for 30 seconds.
  4. Repeat as needed.

Hip flexor release

hip flexor release
EUN JUNG DECKER/REACT PHYSICAL THERAPY

“Knee pain is often caused by a misaligned hip,” Reavy says. He recommends a hip flexor release to combat this issue.

How to do it:

  1. Lie on your stomach and place a 5-inch massage ball just below your hip bone.
  2. Lean a tolerable amount of weight onto the ball.
  3. Bend the knee on the side of the release to a 90-degree angle and swing your leg side from to side as far as you can tolerate.
  4. Repeat as needed in 30-second- to 2-minute intervals.

IT band release

it band release
EUN JUNG DECKER/REACT PHYSICAL THERAPY

The iliotibial (IT) band is a ligament that runs down the outer edge of the thigh from hip to shin. It’s attached to the knee and helps stabilize and move the joint. When it’s tight or inflamed, it can pull the kneecap out of alignment, Reavy explains.

How to do it:

  1. Lie on the side you want to release and place a foam roller under your bottom leg, halfway between your hip and knee.
  2. Slide your leg up and down over the foam roller, moving it from the top of the knee to the base of the hip. Try to work over the more tender areas as much as you can tolerate.
  3. Repeat in 30-second intervals for 2 minutes.

Tip: To focus on a specific area of the IT band, locate the most tender area with the foam roller and stop. Bend your knee at a 90-degree angle then straighten. Repeat the motion of bending and straightening for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat on other tender areas of the IT band.


Inner thighs squat

inner thighs squat
EUN JUNG DECKER/REACT PHYSICAL THERAPY

The inner thigh is also often weaker than the top part of the quad muscle. To strengthen it—and keep knee pain at bay—Reavy recommends inner thighs squats.

How to do it:

  1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle, keeping the weight on your heels.
  2. As you begin to squat, bring your hips back as if you’re trying to sit in a chair that’s too far behind you.
  3. While squatting, move your knees out to the sides and go as low as you can—though no lower than a 90-degree angle—and push back up through your heels.
  4. Do three sets of 15.

Vastus medialis oblique (VMO) activation

vmo activation
EUN JUNG DECKER/REACT PHYSICAL THERAPY

Your VMO, a.k.a. the tear-drop shaped quad muscle that runs along the inside of the kneecap, is often one of the weaker muscles on the thigh, says Reavy. Again, that can pull your kneecap off track. The solution? You guessed it: strengthen it.

Instructions:

  1. Stand in a split stance, keeping all of your weight in your front leg.
  2. Squat straight down, stopping halfway. Your front knee should stay directly over your ankle.
  3. While squatting, twist your front leg to the right, hold for 3 to 5 seconds.
  4. Release and rise up, pushing through the balls of your feet.
  5. Do three sets of 15 on each leg.

Side steps with resistance band

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The outer quad muscle tends to be weaker than the muscle that runs along the top of your thigh, which leads to the kind of imbalance that causes your kneecap to pull out of line. The solution? Strengthen that outer muscle, says Butts.

How to do it:

  1. Pull a medium resistance band up right below your knees and lower down into a squat (if this is uncomfortable, standing works, too).
  2. Move two steps to the right then two steps to the left, working hard to pull your legs apart and stretch the band.
  3. Repeat one 30-second to 1-minute set three times.

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Headshot of Korin Miller
Korin Miller
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.