If you have been adjusted before by a chiropractor, you may have noticed a popping sound. The sound is simply a release of gas from the joint. Studies have compared people who ‘crack’ their knuckles with people who haven’t, but these studies have shown that habitual knuckle cracking does not contribute to arthritis. (I still don’t recommend this as it can lead to hyper mobile joints!) However it is important to remember, whether or not you hear the popping sound makes no difference to how good the adjustment was. Research studies have also looked at this to see if there were better outcomes with the popping sound, but all these studies showed that it made no difference. Higher adjustment speed does mean you are more likely to hear a sound, but this does not mean better outcomes. The sound is not scar tissue snapping, tendons moving over bones or anything cracking. MRI studies have shown that the noise is in fact a bubble forming within the joint because of the change in pressure – Tribonucleanation. The same as opening a champagne bottle! Check out the video below for more information ☟
