Can you help me identify my knee issue?

[AnywhereJune]

Hey all, I wanted to ask about a some knee pain I've been experiencing.

It seems to mainly manifest when I engage in "leg extension" type moves. Not that I do leg extensions on the machine or anything...

It's weird... I could do weighted squats just fine, but sometimes, I'll be sitting on an office chair, and propel myself back, and THEN I'll feel it in my left knee. It's like, a semi-sharp thing under the kneecap.

Possibly related: My knees click a lot. If I'm standing around, and I lightly lock and unlock my knees, more often than not, it'll "click" audibly, kinda like the sound of cracking knuckles.

Sometimes I'll feel the aforementioned knee pain more than other times, and usually, one "click" will relieve it somewhat.

When I'm climbing stairs, there's no audible clicking, but I can "feel" it clicking a bit with every step up I take, and hear like a high-pitched version ripple through my body... if that makes sense...

Is this something familiar to anyone?

p.s. I've scheduled an appointment with a PT, but wanted to get the hivemind's perspective too.

In general, I have some amount of hypermobility (most noticeable in my shoulders, which dislocate super-easily, if in a precarious position like attempting an overhead squat), and the occasional lower back pain... I wonder if that's all linked, or if this is separate... It'd be good to know if there's an overall thing that's exacerbating this, or if the knee issue is isolated.

[Vickster]

Have aread of this primer
https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/primers/patella

Perhaps you have an issue with the tracking of your kneecap, the PT should thoroughly assess this. Could be analtomical, could be due to a weakness or imbalance in the muscles.

There may be some wear on the back of your kneecap hence the feeling, (a type of arthritis often referred to as chondromalacia patella), also explained in the primer.
Have you ever dislocated your kneecap as that can also damage the back of the kneecap.

I would avoid exercises that place a lot of pressure on the kneecap, squats, lunges etc.

Clicking of joints isn't unusual, and if it's pain free, shouldn't be a concern

Good luck

[AnywhereJune]

Thank you! This is great info. I'll give that stuff a read, and that should hopefully prep me for chatting with the PT.

Never had a kneecap dislocation before, but it sounds unpleasant.

[Userhere123]

Have aread of this primer
https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/primers/patella

Perhaps you have an issue with the tracking of your kneecap, the PT should thoroughly assess this. Could be analtomical, could be due to a weakness or imbalance in the muscles.

There may be some wear on the back of your kneecap hence the feeling, (a type of arthritis often referred to as chondromalacia patella), also explained in the primer.
Have you ever dislocated your kneecap as that can also damage the back of the kneecap.

I would avoid exercises that place a lot of pressure on the kneecap, squats, lunges etc.

Clicking of joints isn't unusual, and if it's pain free, shouldn't be a concern

Good luck

Sorry OP to pop in your thread.
I just have a question.  I do have some clicking sound in the knee which comes very often. Whenever I get up after sitting and while standing and sometimes I start taking a step after standing a while.  It's like cracking knuckles. I kind of feel very stiffness and tightness inside the knee. I hear the clicking sound and it gives a relief for some time. Again the stiffness and pain comes and click comes after sometime. I get this clicking sound more often nowadays. I even asked my doctor and PT. They didn't concern about it much and didn't answer for it though. They said it's normal. But I never had this tightness/stiffness along with pain before. Also, I have never heard this clicking sound from my knees before. I used to crack knuckles in my hands only. I never heard popping sound elsewhere.
Is this normal?

[Vickster]

Sorry OP to pop in your thread.
I just have a question.  I do have some clicking sound in the knee which comes very often. Whenever I get up after sitting and while standing and sometimes I start taking a step after standing a while.  It's like cracking knuckles. I kind of feel very stiffness and tightness inside the knee. I hear the clicking sound and it gives a relief for some time. Again the stiffness and pain comes and click comes after sometime. I get this clicking sound more often nowadays. I even asked my doctor and PT. They didn't concern about it much and didn't answer for it though. They said it's normal. But I never had this tightness/stiffness along with pain before. Also, I have never heard this clicking sound from my knees before. I used to crack knuckles in my hands only. I never heard popping sound elsewhere.
Is this normal?

Have you had a read of the PF course, there are several chapters, this one talks a bit about noises in the knee

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/courses/patellofemoral-pain/symptoms-associated-patellofemoral-pain