If you've had a chiropractic adjustment before, you may have noticed a pop or click and wondered what it was. It's one of the questions we hear most often, and it's a good one.
Understanding what's going on in your own body is part of looking after it. So here's what researchers currently know about the popping sound during a chiropractic adjustment, and what they don't.
What's actually happening in the joint?
Your joints sit inside a small capsule filled with a lubricating liquid called synovial fluid. When the joint surfaces are quickly separated, the pressure inside the capsule changes, allowing a gas-filled cavity to form within the fluid. This process is known as cavitation, and it's one explanation for the popping sound heard during some joint movements and adjustments.
Think of it a little like opening a bottle of sparkling wine, except it's all happening inside a sealed joint space.
The tricky part? Not every joint noise is the same. The creak in your knee as you squat, the click in your shoulder, and the pop you hear during an adjustment may all have different explanations. Researchers don't have a single answer that covers every joint and every sound.
What does the research say?
Over the years, people have suggested all sorts of explanations for the popping sound: tendons snapping over a joint, a bone moving back into place, or scar tissue releasing.
A 2015 study used real-time MRI to investigate what happens inside a joint when it cracks. Researchers examined finger joints as they were gently pulled until the knuckle cracked. They observed rapid joint separation and the formation of a gas-filled cavity at the same time as the sound. This supported the theory that joint cracking is associated with cavitation, rather than a bubble simply collapsing.¹
While this study helps us understand how joint cracking can occur, it looked at finger joints rather than chiropractic adjustments specifically.
Does the sound mean something is wrong, or that something has worked?
A popping sound doesn't necessarily mean a joint is unhealthy. Research has also explored whether regularly cracking your knuckles increases the risk of arthritis.
A 2016 review found that habitual knuckle cracking over many years was not associated with clinical or X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in the hands.²
As for chiropractic adjustments, a pop doesn't tell us whether a technique has been performed well, and a quiet adjustment isn't a lesser one. Not every adjustment makes a sound, and that's completely normal.
What matters is the assessment behind the care, the technique selected for your individual needs, and how you're feeling. The sound itself is not a measure of treatment success.
Different adjusting techniques, tailored to you
At Capital Chiro, we use a combination of gentle and manual adjusting techniques. Some gentle techniques involve light, specific movements or pressure and typically don't produce a popping sound. Manual adjustments may sometimes produce the familiar pop or click.
We recognise that every patient is different. Our chiropractors adapt their adjusting style to your individual needs, preferences and assessment findings. There's no one-size-fits-all approach, and an adjustment doesn't need to produce a sound to be meaningful.
Our team is trained in a range of chiropractic techniques, allowing us to offer different approaches to care rather than relying on just one style of adjustment.
Curious about the different techniques we use? Visit our Chiropractic Care page to learn more about the approaches available at Capital Chiro.
When to seek other care
A joint pop on its own, particularly when it isn't painful, is often not a cause for concern. However, have it assessed by a healthcare professional if a joint noise comes with:
Pain, swelling or heat in the joint
Locking, catching or giving way
A pop at the time of an injury, such as a fall or sporting collision, followed by sudden pain or difficulty moving
Numbness, tingling or weakness
Symptoms that are new, worsening or not settling
It's best not to force your own joints to pop repeatedly if it's causing discomfort.
Curious about your own body?
If you've ever wondered about the sounds your joints make, or what's actually happening during a chiropractic adjustment, ask us at your next visit. We're always happy to explain what we're doing and why.
No pressure, just a good chat.
We're here for you!
This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace individual healthcare advice, assessment or treatment. We encourage you to make informed healthcare decisions in partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
References
Kawchuk GN, Fryer J, Jaremko JL, Zeng H, Rowe L, Thompson R. Real-time visualization of joint cavitation. PLoS One. 2015;10(4).
Powers T, Kelsberg G, Safranek S. Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis? J Fam Pract. 2016;65(10):725–726.