An electro-acoustical technique for the detection of knee joint noise

Distinguishing acoustical signatures of sound emitted by normal and pathological knee joints are picked up using a double microphone-differential amplifier setup. Extraneous background noise is minimized using the principle of "noise cancellation". Two identical sensitive condenser microphones and an F.M. recorder with flat responses in the audio range were used. Preliminary studies covering normal and diseased knee joints showed that their respective waveforms and spectral patterns are unique and proved to be a promising nondestructive diagnostic tool for early detection of knee joint cartilage damage.