Many of us suffer from our knees clicking when standing up, but honestly, do any of us bat an eyelid when it happens?

Well, turns out we should, because it could be an early warning sign of an incurable joint disease.

A study carried out by the journal Arthritis Care & Research, found that of the 3,500 people examined, the majority had a clear link between noisy knees and the development of painful joints, which in some cases, can lead to osteoarthritis.

However, we might have a bit of time before we start to panic about this – because out of those assessed, the average age came out at 61.

Researchers X-rayed the participants and asked them if they experienced noisy knees, or grinding joints when they moved.

Those with no warning signs on their X-rays, but who experienced noisy knees, were found to be more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis four years after the initial tests were carried out.

However, those who did present signs of osteoarthritis in their X-rays, in addition to hearing grinding in their knee joints, were likely to experience pain within a year.

Dr. Grace Lo, lead author of the study said: "This study suggests that if these people have noisy knees, they are at higher risk for developing pain within the next year compared with the people who do not have noisy knees.

"Future studies that target people who have x-ray signs of osteoarthritis, and who do not complain of pain but do report noisy knees, hold the promise of identifying interventions that can prevent knee pain."

She also added: "There are no known strategies for preventing the development of pain in this group of people."