Question
Hello. I'm 25 years old, and my ankle joints always pop when I'm going down stairs, or even when resting, i just move my foot upward and they pop loudly. It doesn't hurt but it's annoying, and noisy. What can I do to make my joints operate smoothly? Why could they be like this? Someone suggested to me that it's a benign condition... can it lead to complications later on?

Thank you very much for your time and knowledge, i really appreciate any input you can give me.

Answer
Hi Brenda,

The noise your ankles make when they reach full extension or flexion, eversion or inversion, (all ranges of motion in the joint), is perfectly benign.

Some people are born with joints that hold more "suction" then others. The noise you are hearing is simply a vacuum release, nothing to worry about.

If it "grinds" or makes a repeated "scraping" noise, and there is a history of repetitive trauma, sudden severe trauma or autoimmune disease to the area, then you have to get it checked out. Depending on your age, older people get osteoarthritis, I won't worry about it.

There is absolutely nothing you can do about it unless it is a disease process. From what you've told me, it doesn't sound as so.


Thanks for asking,
Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com