Q: I am 34 years old. I am experiencing cracking of joints, particularly my knees and elbows. I met with an accident and was hit by a car 15 years ago. I fractured my left wrist and the ligaments in both my legs were torn. Could this be a contributing factor to my problem? I do not experience any pain in the joints and work out regularly at the gym. Please advise.

A:Cracking of joints can be normal for some people. It may have nothing to do with any disease. However, the fact that this is a normal variation must be assessed carefully and confirmed by an orthopaedic surgeon. This is because specific clicks or cracking may be as a result of some pathology. For example in the case of knee it could indicate a torn cartilage, in the shoulder it could indicate a benign growth in the shoulder blade. From your description of cracking in the knees and elbows, this seems to be a harmless variation from normal. I do not think you will need anything to be done and I do not think it has anything to do with your injury. However, if you are really worried you may see an orthopaedic surgeon essentially for reassurance.