Does crackling in your joints mean arthritis? The answer may not be what you think

gossip

“Crackling joints are arthritis!”

In daily life, some people's joints make crackling sounds when they stretch, stand up or do some big movements. Many people on the Internet believe that the reason why the joints make crisp popping sounds is because they have arthritis. Is this true?

Rumor Analysis

This statement is not accurate.

Popping sounds in joints are very common in life, but it does not necessarily mean that you have arthritis. It depends on the specific situation.

Arthritis is a common disease that affects the knees, shoulders, fingers, etc., causing unbearable pain.
In daily life, some people worry that they have arthritis if their joints hurt a little. Many people also believe that arthritis is caused by cold and damp weather. There is even a rumor online that crackling joints are arthritis.

So, are these claims true? Today is World Arthritis Day . Let's learn about arthritis and take care of our joints.

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The causes of arthritis are complex

There are 4 typical symptoms

To answer the above questions, let’s first look at the causes and symptoms of arthritis.

Arthritis refers to a joint disease that occurs in one or more joints of the human body and is characterized by swelling, pain, and tenderness. Arthritis is not a single disease, but a manifestation of many diseases in the joints.
There are many diseases that cause arthritis. Different types of arthritis have different causes. For example, osteoarthritis is related to joint aging and degeneration, and gouty arthritis is related to abnormal purine metabolism. It is often the result of a combination of factors. According to the cause of the disease, it can be divided into the following common types:

① Osteoarthritis: also known as joint degeneration and bone hyperplasia;

② Immune-related arthritis: including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome and other immune diseases involving joints, etc.;

③ Crystalline arthritis: the most common gout;

④Traumatic arthritis: caused by joint trauma;

⑤ Infectious arthritis: caused by local infection of joints with bacteria, tuberculosis, fungi and other pathogens;

⑥Others: A small number of patients may suffer from arthritis due to tumors, metabolic diseases, etc. Among them, osteoarthritis, immune-related arthritis, and crystal arthritis belong to the category of rheumatism and immunology.

Different types of arthritis have different predilection sites and manifestation characteristics, such as:

Osteoarthritis often occurs in the knee joints, causing obvious pain when going up and down stairs;

In the early stages of gout, it usually occurs in a single joint, most often in the big toe, with paroxysmal redness, swelling and severe pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis often affects the wrists, metacarpophalangeal joints, and proximal interphalangeal joints, and manifests as multiple joints, small joints, and symmetry;

The most common symptom of ankylosing spondylitis is low back pain, which is more obvious at night and may also affect the joints of the limbs.

Psoriatic arthritis is similar to ankylosing spondylitis, with symptoms such as a psoriatic rash and nail changes.

Joint swelling, pain, deformity and dysfunction, along with morning stiffness are the four typical symptoms of arthritis:

1. Swelling: It is caused by joint inflammation leading to joint effusion, synovial hyperplasia and soft tissue edema. Some joint swelling may be accompanied by local skin redness, such as gouty arthritis and infectious arthritis, which often manifest as redness and swelling.

2. Pain: It mostly occurs during activities. Some types of arthritis may also be obvious during rest, such as the low back pain in ankylosing spondylitis. Some arthritis may only manifest as tenderness.

3. Deformity and dysfunction: If most arthritis is not controlled in time, joint bone destruction, tendon and ligament damage around the joint will occur, resulting in joint deformity and joint dysfunction.

4. Accompanied by morning stiffness: Some arthritis patients may experience morning stiffness, that is, the hands feel obvious stiffness or even pain when they get up in the morning, which can be alleviated or disappear after activity.

In daily life, a variety of reasons can trigger acute attacks of arthritis or aggravate arthritis, such as cold joints, excessive exercise, colds, etc., and unreasonable diet can trigger acute attacks of gouty arthritis. Understanding the characteristics of arthritis symptoms can help everyone identify different types of arthritis, but there are individual differences between different patients. For arthritis caused by different causes, the treatment plan and prognosis are different. Therefore, once signs of arthritis appear, it is recommended that everyone seek medical attention in time, and early diagnosis and early treatment can improve the prognosis.

2 common

Myths about joint health

We use our joints every day, but we know very little about them. There are also many rumors about joint health circulating on the Internet. Let’s work together to determine the truth from falsehood of these rumors.

Myth 1: Arthritis is caused by cold, wet weather.

Fact : This statement is inaccurate.

Analysis: The pathogenesis of arthritis is relatively complex and may be related to multiple factors such as immunity, genetics, infection, and metabolism. Therefore, it cannot be said that arthritis is caused by wet and cold weather. Arthritis can occur in any climatic conditions.

However, cold and damp environments can easily aggravate arthritis. The reason why arthritis is aggravated in cold and damp environments may be related to the cold and damp stimulation that causes blood vessels in the damaged joints to constrict and tissue hypoxia. In warm climates, blood circulation in the damaged joints is improved, and pain is relieved.

Rumor 2: Cracking joints means arthritis.

The truth: The answer is not necessarily.

Analysis: There are many possible reasons for joint crackling, which can be divided into physiological and pathological. Most joint crackling is physiological, such as the sound made by pressing your fingers. The exact mechanism of this sound is unclear. Some believe that it is caused by the gas in the joint cavity entering the synovial fluid when the joint moves, squeezing and rupturing, which does not cause much harm to the body.

However, some people experience joint popping along with uncomfortable sensations such as soreness, swelling, and even limited mobility. For example, popping pain in the hip and knee joints indicates pathological changes such as local tissue damage in the joints, and require medical attention.

Prevent and relieve arthritis

You can do this

A reasonable diet, a healthy lifestyle and necessary protection are very important for the prevention and symptom control of arthritis. You can pay attention to the following points:

Reasonable diet: Especially for gouty arthritis, try to avoid foods high in purine or that affect purine metabolism, such as alcohol, seafood, soy products, and animal offal. Drink less carbonated drinks and fructose-rich drinks such as Sprite, cola, milk tea, and juice, and drink more water.

Control your weight: For obese people, losing weight is an important measure to reduce the burden on joints and prevent osteoarthritis.

Appropriate exercise: You should do sufficient warm-up exercises before exercise, pay attention to correcting your posture during exercise, and try to avoid going up and down stairs for people with knee osteoarthritis; pay attention to reasonable control of the amount of exercise. After exercise, you may experience short-term aggravation of joint pain symptoms, and usually the symptoms will be relieved within 2 hours of rest after the activity.

Be alert to microbial infections: It has been found that some pathogenic microbial infections are also related to various arthritis, including intestinal flora imbalance, upper respiratory tract infection, etc. Therefore, being alert to microbial infections is also one of the important measures to prevent and treat arthritis.

Pay attention to keeping the joints warm: Keeping the joints warm can effectively relieve the pain of arthritis in cold and damp weather.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

The causes of disease are usually complex and cannot be caused by a single factor. The symptoms of disease are also generally diverse, so we cannot "self-diagnose" based on just one symptom, which may lead to misdiagnosis.

If you suspect that you may have a certain disease, it is recommended that you combine your own situation and make a comprehensive judgment based on multiple factors. If the judgment is inaccurate, seek medical advice in time and leave professional matters to professionals.

Planning and production

Author: Li Yasong, Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital

Review | Ding Yu Deputy Director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, PLA General Hospital Director of Orthopedics