This term makes me cringe. Crepitance means a crackling or grating sound- and it is most often used to refer to bones rubbing against one another.
For whatever reason, the thought of that sound makes me really uncomfortable. I’ve never even heard it before!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
HAHA, it is gross.
Regarding whomever was grossed out by the term “CREPITANCE,” stating they had not heard of it before. It does not exist. The correct medical term is crepitus, meaning a noisy discharge, or crepitation, meaning Crackling; the quality of a fine bubbling sound (rale) that resembles noise heard on rubbing hair between the fingers.
2. The sensation felt on placing the hand over the seat of a fracture when the broken ends of the bone are moved, or over tissue, in which gas gangrene is present. Syn: bony crepitus.
3. Noise or vibration produced by rubbing bone or irregular degenerated cartilage surfaces together as in arthritis and other conditions.
Syn: crepitus(1). [see crepitus]
Physicians and other dictators incorrectly dictate crepitance instead of the two above-listed correct medical terms, and they have gotten away with it because the transcripionists are trained to TYPE WHAT IS DICTATED (even when they know the correct term)
Thankyou Steve and Martha. I looked this up as I was preparing for a test to get the most accurate definitions of Crepitance and Crepitus. I have always believed Crepitance was related to the sound of gases in the tissues and Crepitus was the sound of grating bones. However I am somewhat relieved to see that my assumed existence of 2 distinct words is probably due to incorrect usage of them during previous studies and lectures. I will data-dump crepitance once and for all.