Is Your Teen Always Cracking Their Joints? 🤔

Read Time: 5 min read ⏱️

It’s a familiar sound in many homes – the click of a knee, the pop of a hip, or the crack of knuckles as your teenager moves around.

Parents often wonder:

• Is this normal?

• Is it a sign of something wrong?

• Could it affect their future health?

The truth is, joint clicking is very common in growing bodies.

Most of the time it isn’t harmful, but it can be a signal that your child’s muscles, joints, and posture are under extra strain.

Why Do Teens’ Joints Click?

• Growth spurts 🧬 – Muscles and tendons can become tight as bones grow quickly, creating tension around joints.

• Poor posture 📱 – Slouching at desks, leaning over phones, or carrying heavy backpacks can put pressure on the spine, hips, and shoulders.

• Sports and activity ⚽ – Repetitive training or matches can make joints feel stiff or achy, leading kids to “click” them for relief.

• Hyperactivity - Can’t rest / sit still. Boredom and fidgeting, cracking can make them feel more settled and relaxed.

PARENTS! - When to Pay Attention

Clicking on its own isn’t usually serious. But if your child also has:

• Regular aches or pains (knees, hips, back, shoulders)

• Stiffness after school or sport

• Complains about pain

• Fidgeting around

• Anxious tapping, cracking, movement

• Tiredness or tension in their muscles

• A habit of constantly clicking to “loosen up”

…it may be a sign that their body is working harder than it should. and now is the time for action.

How We Can Help at Lincs Injury Clinic

We regularly see children and teenagers who struggle with:

• Growing pains in legs and joints

• Back and neck tension from sitting too long

• Sports injuries from training or matches

• Posture issues made worse by heavy school bags and screens

Through gentle treatment and advice, we can:
✅ Ease discomfort from tight muscles via manual methods
✅ Check posture and alignment
✅ Give advice on school bags, seating, and stretching
✅ Support young athletes with recovery and injury prevention
✅ Teach corrective exercises to build strength and better movement habits

Simple Exercises to Try at Home

Here are a few safe and effective movements that can make a difference:

1. Desk Stretch – Sit tall, interlace hands, and stretch arms overhead. Hold for 20 seconds.

2. Backpack Reset – Roll shoulders back, squeeze shoulder blades together for 10 seconds. Repeat 3–5 times.

3. Hamstring Stretch – Sit with one leg extended, reach towards the toes, and hold for 20 seconds.

4. Hip Flexor Stretch – Step forward into a lunge, back knee down. Lean gently forward to stretch the front of the hip.

5. Glute Bridge – Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift hips, squeeze glutes, hold for 3 seconds, and lower. Repeat 10–12 times.

💡 These aren’t a replacement for treatment, but they can help kids feel looser and more comfortable day to day.

Love Emma and The Lincs Injury Team x

P.S. Whether your child is 9, 14, or 17 – early support makes a huge difference to how they move, feel, and grow.