Why Do Your Joints Pop And What To Do About It?

 You may not be in the habit of cracking your knuckles but that won’t stop your joints from popping. It’s common and normal to hear loud or soft snapping noises when you stretch your joints a certain way. Especially if they feel quite tight. Patients often hear these noises when getting a chiropractic adjustment in Denver.

These noises could occur due to air bubbles between joints, ligament snapping on bones or bones grinding against each other. They become more frequent as you grow older but can occur at any age. 

Many people might find the cracking noises concerning, especially if it’s loud or repetitive. In most cases, it’s nothing to worry about and may make you feel better for a while. It’s usually a concern only when pain or other troubling symptoms are involved. 

Why Do Joints Crack? 

The noises caused by joint movement are called crepitus. Joint cracking is associated with three main reasons:

- Air Bubbles Between Joints

Synovial joints contain synovial fluids that lubricate them and prevent friction between the articular joints between movements. The volume of this fluid may change depending on how you move your joints.

These fluids contain gases like nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. When the synovial fluids shift, these gases form tiny air bubbles that pop at some point. These air bubbles may be responsible for the noises you hear when cracking your knuckles or neck.

- Ligaments Or Tendons Snapping On Bones

When your muscles or other soft tissues become tight, they may snap against your bones, creating soft clicking noises. This may also be due to your soft tissues losing elasticity as you age. Light stretching can relieve the tightness and make you feel better.

- Bone Grinding Bone

Bones usually come with protective cartilage at the joints for smooth movement. These cartilages wear down as you age, especially if you have osteoarthritis. This allows adjacent bones to grind against each other, creating grinding noises.

During the degenerative disc disease, the cushioning between the discs may wear away, allowing the noises to be repeated.

How To Prevent Crepitus? 

It’s usually not something so serious to require precautions. According to experts, the best way to prevent crepitus is to follow an active lifestyle. The more you move around, the more your body lubricates itself. Without movement, the synovial fluids responsible for lubrication don’t move much.

Stretching loosens up tight muscles, a major cause of cracking. This should decrease the number of times you hear the cracking noises. Keep in mind that it’s normal for the joints to crack while stretching. It also improves your overall health and mobility.

In some cases, the cracking is caused by underlying conditions. So getting treatment when necessary can help. This may include heat and cold therapy, physical therapy, etc. Again, you may hear the noises during physical therapy.

When To Worry?

As long as it’s painless and comfortable, joint cracking isn’t an issue even if it seems excessive. It becomes an issue when you experience pain, swelling or stiffness in the joints. This may be caused by an underlying issue for which you need to consult a functional medicine doctor in Denver.

Arthritis is often a common cause. It may cause degeneration of cartilages and the bones to rub against each other. Tendinitis or the inflammation of tendons causes the joints to move awkwardly. Bursitis is caused by the inflammation of the bursa responsible for lubricating the joints. The disease causes an ever-present ache.

Care needs to be taken when cracking the neck and back. This region has many delicate nerves and blood vessels. Using too much force or cracking too often can cause some problems. You may pinch a nerve or damage blood vessels, leading to strokes. It’s best to leave adjustments to a chiropractor.

It’s usually safe to crack other joints like knuckles and knees. Despite what many believe, crepitating does not cause arthritis. Though it can aggravate the underlying symptoms.

Summary - Joint cracking is quite common and usually nothing to be concerned about in most cases. If you experience pain while doing it, then you may need a chiropractic adjustment in Denver.