Hello! I've had an issue with my right knee for about 5 years that I've more or less shrugged off, but now I've finally decided to do something about it. To put it simply, when bending it something seems to cause my knee's tracking pattern to "snap". I can get it to pop fairly easily by squatting or holding my knee while bending it and this provides relief from the snapping. However, I am left with a clicking sound/sensation after the fact. If I stop bending my knee after doing this, within 15 minutes or less it is back to its snapping/improper tracking state and again.. I can pop it for relief.

I should note that my knee is almost never inherently painful. Squats or doing something like riding a bike with resistance are the main movements that bring issues. It often leads to this area feeling irritated/tender, and every bend comes with a grindy/clicking feeling/sound. I do also experience discomfort if I have to stay seated with my knee bent for a long period of time. Not pain, just a sensation of tightness and it needing to pop. Only recently have I started to feeling pain outside of exercise (ironically after a period of not moving around much and mostly having to sit). This has finally given me the initiative to fix this for good. I should also add that there is *some* instability in bending the knee, as though it gives way when bending it. But it's more of a deliberate effort to make this happen and it doesn't feel unpredictable. The condition has also been more or less the same these past 5 years. It doesn't feel degenerative.

I have provided videos showing what I'm experiencing and also an image highlighting the area that gives me pain/discomfort. If anyone knows what this may be and what exercises would be best for addressing it, anything is much appreciated. After discovering Knees Over Toes I'm highly optimistic I can get this sorted out but it would be nice to have a clearer idea of what I'm facing before I fully dive in!

Tendon snapping/tracking wrong and getting knee to \"pop\".

Knee \"clicking\" after pop. Tendon isn't tracking improperly anymore, just clicking sensation.

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Example of knee instability.

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General area where I feel discomfort/pain. Mostly seems to be around the tip of the vastus lateralis and the tendons around there.