Anyone else with constantly cracking joints?

[KnickKnack]

Hi all. Not sure if this is even POTS related but I know many people on here experience other symptoms/conditions.

Anyone have constantly popping and cracking joints? I'm young (20's) but my bones sound like an old woman's when I move and have for years. It's not limited to a specific joint, it's my knees, ankles, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, etc. Seems like I can't make a move without a joint making a noise. The majority of these pops/cracks typically don't hurt, so I've been paying it no mind. I just thought it was something joints did. But lately I've been feeling worried that it might cause permanent damage down the road.

These are the ones that do hurt:

Sometimes my hip will feel like it suddenly moves "out of place." It's hard to describe, but it just hurts and I usually have to twist or shake my leg around to fix it. It happens to my wrist too, just a sudden pain like something isn't where it should be and I have to gently move/rotate it to snap it back. I have even felt it in my sternum/collar bone area.

I also have jaw stiffness (possible tmj?) that can get bad at times too. Clicking and loud pops there too.

Anyone else have this?

[jklass44]

Hi there. I have this too. Basically the same areas as you as well... Neck, shoulders, fingers, knees, ankles, toes, hips... I have osteoporosis though I'm not sure if it has anything to do with it. I'm in my late 20s. 

I don't typically have any pain per say from these cracks and pops, so maybe if you're concerned you should see your GP? From my understanding EDS is quite common in those with dysautonomia. Not saying you have that but cracking/clicking can be a symptom. 

[Lily]

Some of my joints crackle and pop, too.  I have no idea if it is related to having joint hypermobility or not.

[StayAtHomeMom]

I have the same thing. I am in my early 30s and I have had it since my teens. Occasionally I have to have my husband pull the joint out and let it slide back in. I have recently figured out bending and twisting at the same time makes my knees mad. 

I always thought is was normal too until a few years ago. I think mine is related to whatever my underlying cause is. I believe it is genetic as well. My kids seem to do it as well. I suspect hEDS or some other connective tissue disease. I am working on getting in to see a specialist to rule that stuff out. 

Do your joints get stiff after a while of them not popping? Like your hands and knees? Mine do. I have tried to not pop them when I was seeing a chiropractor a while back and I would hurt, and the Chiro noticed my joints quit moving quite so easily when he would try to adjust them. Thought it was interesting. 

[WinterSown]

My right hip 'boinks' when I walk, it does make a small noise. When I bend sideways to the left the sound goes away, or when I turn my right foot outwards and walk it goes away then. Something in how the bone is cushioned in the socket is slightly askew. It's more a curiosity than anything, I've had it for a least 30 years and it has never caused any pain. 

 

[KnickKnack]

11 hours ago, jklass44 said:

From my understanding EDS is quite common in those with dysautonomia. Not saying you have that but cracking/clicking can be a symptom. 

1

I've actually looked into EDS as a possibility (my own research, haven't seen a doctor about it.) I definitely have some degree of hypermobility and have since I was little.  One time, at a massage therapy session, the masseuse actually broke the usual silence of the session to tell me how surprised she was at how far back my arm could bend! Haha. She told me my chronic neck pain is probably because my joints move too easily, therefore allowing me to sit and move in positions I shouldn't.  

I looked up the Beighton scale thing though, and I can't do any of the things listed on there. But I can move in a whole lot of other weird ways people around me can't! Not sure if that scale is the only criteria.

[KnickKnack]

Thanks for your responses @Lily and @WinterSown .  Always interesting to hear that other people share some of the same "quirks."

@StayAtHomeMom Do you happen to know if you can be considered to have EDS without meeting the Beighton criteria but being hypermobile in other ways? Or I guess it would just be considered a form of general hypermobility then. And yes, my fingers and neck definitely feel stiff if I don't crack them for a while. But most of my joints just do it on their own. Last night, I tried to make mental notes of every time a joint cracked or popped. It was basically any time I moved! I just hope it doesn't lead to problems as I get older, since I can't control it.

 

[StayAtHomeMom]

If you look up the criteria for diagnosing hEDS it is some Beighton score, but also other criteria as well. And it can be a mixture. It doesn't have to be just that though. My mom has RA and hers does that. I have also been looking at ankylosing spondylitis and it can do that as well. So I am sure there are lots of things that can cause it. I would suggest if it really bothers you, see if you can get in with a rheumatologist or an orthopedic. That is my plan in the near future. I am hoping it is the pathway of finding my underlying cause. I assumed my body breaking down early was because of having kids early, but I am beginning to see that it is not normal, even if I had kids in my teens. 

Have you ever seen a chiropractor?

[KnickKnack]

@StayAtHomeMom I haven't been to a chiro, just to a masseuse for about a year, but I stopped going because while it seemed to help in the moment, it actually seemed to trigger worse neck pain and migraines later on.  Right now I'm mostly just trying to monitor when it happens, especially the ones that do cause me pain, that way if I decide to see a doctor, I'll have some notes. 

[StayAtHomeMom]

A good Chiro won't touch you without doing x-rays and a full examination. Maybe they can find something to show your doctor. 

[yogini]

If you think you may have EDS it is worth getting tested,  as a starting point before seeing a chiro, etc.  

[StayAtHomeMom]

16 minutes ago, yogini said:

If you think you may have EDS it is worth getting tested,  as a starting point before seeing a chiro, etc.  

Out of curiosity why would EDS matter to a chiro?