Why Do My Joints Click During Pilates? (And When Should I Actually Worry?)
- theziblingsalipoon
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Perhaps you're halfway through a Pilates class when your knee makes an audible click during a squat. Maybe your shoulder pops every time you lift your arm overhead, or your hips click during leg circles on the reformer.
For many people, these noises immediately trigger concern.
"Am I damaging my joint?"
"Should I stop exercising?"
"Does this mean I have arthritis?"
The reassuring news is that, in many cases, joint clicking is completely normal and not a sign that damage is occurring. However, there are situations where clicking deserves further assessment, particularly if it is accompanied by pain, swelling, locking, or instability.
Understanding why joints click can help you exercise with greater confidence and recognise when it's appropriate to seek professional advice.
Why Do Joints Make Noise?
Our joints are incredibly complex structures made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, muscles and synovial fluid. As these structures move together, they can create various sounds, including:
Clicking
Popping
Cracking
Snapping
Grinding
Interestingly, not all of these sounds come from the same source. Some are completely harmless, while others may indicate that a joint would benefit from further assessment.
The important thing is that the sound itself rarely tells the whole story. Instead, we need to consider what else is happening alongside it.
The Most Common Cause: Cavitation
One of the most common explanations for painless joint popping is something called cavitation.
Synovial joints contain fluid that lubricates and nourishes the cartilage surfaces. When a joint moves, the pressure inside the joint briefly changes.
This pressure change allows tiny gas bubbles within the fluid to rapidly form or collapse, creating the familiar popping sound.
It's exactly the same mechanism responsible for cracking your knuckles.
Despite what many people have heard growing up, current research has found no evidence that this causes arthritis or damages healthy joints.
If your shoulder pops once during an overhead reach and feels completely normal afterwards, cavitation is a very likely explanation.
Tendons Can Also Create Clicking
Another common reason joints click has nothing to do with the joint itself. Sometimes it is the surrounding tendon moving across a bony prominence.
As tension changes, it can briefly flick over the edge before settling again.
The same thing can occur inside the body.
This is particularly common around the:
Hip
Shoulder
Ankle
Knee
For example, many people experience a clicking sensation at the front of the hip during leg circles or leg lowers. Often this is simply the iliopsoas tendon gliding across the front of the pelvis.
If it occurs without pain, loss of strength or restriction, it is usually considered a normal variation of movement.
Why Pilates Sometimes Makes Clicking More Noticeable
Many clients first notice joint noises when they begin Pilates. This isn't because Pilates is causing damage. Rather, Pilates places the body through controlled ranges of movement that many people simply haven't explored for years.
As joints move more freely and muscles begin working through greater ranges, you may become more aware of sounds that have always been present.
The slower pace of Pilates also means you're more likely to notice subtle clicks that would be masked during faster activities such as walking or running.
Should I Stop Exercising If My Joint Clicks?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that a clicking joint automatically means you should avoid movement.
Current evidence suggests that movement remains one of the best things you can do for healthy joints.
Exercise helps:
Maintain cartilage health
Improve joint lubrication
Strengthen surrounding muscles
Improve movement confidence
Reduce stiffness
Improve long-term joint function
If every painless click meant damage was occurring, almost nobody would be able to
exercise.
The important question is not:
"Does it click?"
Instead, ask:
"Does it hurt?"
When Clicking Might Need Assessment
Although painless clicking is usually nothing to worry about, there are situations where professional assessment is recommended.
Clicking With Pain
Pain changes the picture considerably. Pain suggests that a structure may be irritated or overloaded.
This doesn't necessarily mean serious damage has occurred, but it does mean the underlying cause should be investigated.
Examples include:
Sharp pain in the front of the hip during reformer leg circles
Painful clicking inside the shoulder during overhead reaching
Knee clicking accompanied by discomfort while squatting
These situations often respond well to physiotherapy assessment and appropriately modified exercise.
Locking Or Catching
If your joint becomes stuck during movement before suddenly releasing, this is different from simple clicking.
Mechanical locking can occasionally indicate involvement of structures such as cartilage or the meniscus and should always be assessed.
Swelling
Swelling after exercise suggests the joint has become irritated. Combined with clicking, swelling warrants further investigation to determine the underlying cause.
Giving Way
If your knee feels unstable or your ankle repeatedly gives way alongside clicking, assessment is recommended.
Stability depends on coordinated muscle function as well as ligament integrity. Persistent instability is not something that should simply be ignored.
What About Arthritis?
Many people immediately assume clicking means arthritis. Interestingly, this is often not the case.
While arthritic joints can produce grinding or crunching sensations (sometimes called crepitus), plenty of perfectly healthy joints also click.
Likewise, many people with arthritis experience very little joint noise. Arthritis is diagnosed based on the whole clinical picture, including symptoms, assessment findings and, when appropriate, imaging, not simply because a joint makes noise.
How Strength Can Reduce Clicking
One of the most satisfying things we see in the clinic is clients reporting that their joints become quieter after several months of consistent strength training.
This isn't because we've "fixed" the clicking. It's because improved muscle strength and coordination often changes how forces are distributed around the joint.
Stronger muscles provide better support. Improved movement control creates smoother mechanics.
Reduced stiffness allows tissues to move more efficiently. The sound itself may not disappear completely, but many clients notice it becomes less frequent or less noticeable over time.
What We Look At During A Physiotherapy Assessment
If someone attends Body Form concerned about a clicking joint, we don't focus on the sound itself.
Instead, we ask questions such as:
Is the clicking painful?
When did it begin?
Does it happen during specific movements?
Has anything changed recently?
Are there any associated symptoms?
We then assess:
Joint mobility
Muscle strength
Movement quality
Balance
Functional activities
Load tolerance
Often, the clicking itself turns out to be completely harmless, while the assessment identifies an unrelated movement pattern or strength deficit that is contributing to discomfort.
Can Pilates Actually Help?
Absolutely.
Pilates is an excellent environment for improving movement quality because exercises are:
Slow
Controlled
Progressive
Individualised
Easily modified
Rather than simply avoiding a noisy joint, Pilates allows us to improve the strength, coordination and movement efficiency of the entire kinetic chain.
For example, someone with clicking knees may benefit from improving hip strength. Someone with shoulder clicking may need better thoracic mobility and scapular control. Someone with hip clicking may require improved trunk stability and gluteal strength. Rather than chasing the noise itself, we address the underlying contributors.
Practical Takeaways
Joint clicking is extremely common and is often completely normal.
Painless clicking rarely indicates damage.
Cavitation and tendon movement are two of the most common causes.
Exercise is generally beneficial for joint health and should not automatically be avoided because of clicking.
Clicking accompanied by pain, swelling, locking or instability should be assessed by a physiotherapist.
Improving strength and movement quality often reduces symptoms and improves confidence with movement.
Ready to Move With Confidence?
If you're experiencing clicking joints and aren't sure whether they're something to worry about, our physiotherapists are here to help.
At Body Form, we combine detailed physiotherapy assessments with individualised Pilates and strength programs to identify the underlying cause of your symptoms and help you continue moving with confidence.
Whether your goal is to return to sport, stay active as you age, or simply understand your body better, we'd love to help.
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