Question:

i am a fit 14 year old boy, when i flex my arm and extend it there is an audible crack/pop noise from my elbow. this occurs with each arm extension. just want to know if its anything that needs to be looked at or something done about it or if i should just ignore it.

Answer:

The elbow normally does not pop or crack when you bend or straighten it. Usually this indicates some type of problem. This popping may be caused from several things. The two most common that I am aware of is a loose body in the joint, or the ulnar nerve jumps out of the groove. A loose body usually has pain associated with it. The nerve may not. I assume you have no pain. Without pain, I think it becomes an issue of activity. If you throw a ball a lot it would have the potential of becoming problematic. If your activity level does not require that type of repetitive motion you may get along fine. If there was some type of trauma before the popping started would be good to know or if it started gradually with activity. Because the popping can come from different problems of varying severity, I would suggest you get it checked out by your family doctor or an orthopedist. Palpation usually can determine the integrity of the nerve and an Xray or more is needed to determine if a loose body is floating in the joint.

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Go to the Athletic Training health topic.