Why Do Your Joints Crack and Pop?
By Sara Butler
There are times when you may notice as you kneel down to pick something up or turn a certain way that your joints pop and crack. Knees, backs, shoulders, and even ankles have been known to pop and crack from time to time, but is this something you should be worried about? Sometimes these weird sounds don’t mean a thing, but if it’s accompanied by pain or swelling, that’s a whole different story. Here’s what your joints might be trying to tell you if you can't make it to The Joint Chiropractic that day.
Why Joints Pop
You may have noticed a joint popping or cracking sound at the chiropractor’s office, and that’s normal when your chiropractor is trying to remove joint dysfunctions and restrictions. But outside of the chiropractor’s office, what is happening?
Knees, hips, ankles, knuckles, backs – basically any joint – can pop from time to time. This usually happens when the fluid that helps to lubricate your joints releases gasses, and that’s what you’re hearing. But sometimes when a joint moves, the tendon that supports and surrounds it moves out of place. When that tendon then shifts back to its regular place, snapping or cracking can occur. And if you have arthritis, you will often hear sounds coming from the affected joints due to the roughness of the joint and deteriorated cartilage.
Are These Sounds a Bad Thing?
Sometimes these sounds mean nothing, other times they are a sign of the degeneration of the joint. You can tell something serious is brewing under the surface if you experience limited mobility or range of motion, swelling, pain, and warmth in the area the sound is coming from.
Listen Up
No matter what you’re doing, you should listen to the signals your body is trying to send you. If you ever notice these sounds and experience pain along with them, then go to see a healthcare provider, such as the chiropractor, as soon as you can. You need to make sure there aren’t underlying conditions behind it that could get worse over time. Getting a professional assessment will help you decide where you need to go from here, popping, cracking joints and all.
What You Can Do
You can avoid unwanted snapping and popping of your joints not caused by an underlying condition by improving the joint’s mobility. If all the muscles supporting the joint are being used equally and no imbalances are present, then you can stop the sounds from happening. Be sure to find time to drop in on your chiropractor at The Joint.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.