In my last post I explained the “popping” noise heard during joint manipulation, called “cavitation”. The noise is created when nitrogen gases come out of solution from your joint fluid. I told you that this phenomenon can only occur once approximately every 20 minutes. So you might be asking, “Why does my shoulder/knee/hip constantly pop every time I move it?”. You can probably get it to “pop” every second if you wanted to. Is this a bad thing?
This “popping” noise is different from the joint cavitation we already spoke about. This noise is called “crepitus”. It can occur for several reasons. It can occur in individuals with degeneration, where the two ends of their joints may actually be rubbing together. Another fairly common cause is that either a ligament or tendon is getting caught on some part of the body as you move, and then it suddenly releases and snaps across like a rubber band creating the “pop”.
So is this a bad thing? The majority of the time, no, it’s just something that happens. It can become a problem though if the area becomes irritated and inflamed due to the constant rubbing or snapping. If this occurs it can become a serious source of pain and discomfort. You should try to limit the motion that causes the crepitus and stop if it becomes painful or sore.
Can you get rid of the crepitus? Strengthening, stretching, and joint manipulation can all help to reduce or eliminate crepitus. Proper strengthening can condition your muscles to support your joints better, allowing them to move properly which can reduce the amount of friction and rubbing in the joint. Stretching can relax ligaments and tendons so they don’t catch and snap. Joint manipulation assists in restoring proper motion and therefore reducing abnormal friction and rubbing in the joint.
Bottom line, if it hurts, get it checked out. There is a difference between the “pop” heard with joint manipulation, “cavitation”, and consistent noise in your joint, “crepitus”.
