Knee cracks/pops

[b33k4y]

Mark,

I have been following SS with great success; I have gone from a sad 140 pounds to a slightly better 165 however I am still very underweight for 6 feet tall. My squat has been moving steadily but has started to slow around 225.

Recently I have noticed my knees popping and cracking more often, especially if I am sitting down in a chair and I straighten my leg loosely. If I tighten my leg muscles instead of letting my knees bend freely, the cracks and/or pops disappear. I have no pains associated with this, and the pops and cracks almost never happen during my workout. Sometimes I hear them if I am bodyweight squatting to stretch and haven't warmed up sufficiently. (I am 20 years old and used to run cross country in high school. Damn them.)

Is this relatively normal to have happen?

Thanks for your time,

Ben

[Mark Rippetoe]

Everybody's knees make noise. Well, pretty much everybody. Synovial fluid moving around and such. Worry when it hurts.