What’s that cracking sound from the joint suggest? Well, if this is your quandary, find refuge here. Popping joints could be a great technique that delivers instant relief, but is this tendency all right? Before you adorn your cognitive cap, read this article to shape your stream of thought correctly. …
It’s a pleasurable activity indeed, to have your joints popping. After all, it provides a sense of relief to the ‘popper’! A waft of soothing sensation dawns over you when joints get cracking! However, is popping joints good or bad? Spare a thought! Why do joints pop? What does that uncanny sound from the joints signify? Do you need an expert consult? Well, this WellnessKeen article is packed with some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) that you may desire to refer to.
Q1: What is joint popping?
A: Popping joints are indeed the joints in the body that make a sound when they are made to crack by force or involuntarily, due to conventional movements. There are times when the sound is loud enough to be audible, whereas, during other times there is no crackling sound. Popping knee joints may occur when you oscillate up and down the staircase,or when you stretch your arms and the back. You might also experience a popping joint when you purposefully resort to crack your knuckles or bend the ankle that in turn delivers pressure on the shin that forces out a pop in the joint.
Q2: What happens when my joints pop/crack?
A: While cracking joints, willfully or involuntarily, the tendons and ligaments experience a pull, a stretch. The popping joints may also be a result of emission of gas bubbles. A joint has the bone cocooned with a cartilage that is further covered by a capsule-like structure consisting of synovial joints or membranes that evict a liquid packed with gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This is a healthy joint. Popping knee joints or popping shoulder joints may be the result of these gases escaping in the form of gas bubbles, when joints experience an intensive pull.
Q3: Do healthy joints experience the popping sound?
A: Well yes, healthy joints can experience a popping sound as well, when the joints are stretched. You may refer to Answer 2 in order to solve your query.
Q4: How do I conclude that my joints are unhealthy?
A: An unhealthy joint is marked by the cartilage being worn out. This generally occurs when age becomes a predominant factor for popping joints. The tendons and ligaments are stretched out of proportion causing cracking joints followed by the joint getting back to its original position.
Q5: When I crack my joints, I feel relieved. I have heard that this is an offensive habit to endure?
A: Though the ‘popping joint tendency’ is prominent and prevalent in a lot of people, the habit cannot be deemed as unhealthy or repulsive. If you say you derive a sense of relief by cracking joints, it’s all right to do so. But, bear in mind that this habit should not be constantly indulged in. If you experience excruciating pain in your joints, it would be to your advantage to consult a medical authority. This may lead to a careful diagnoses of the problem, successively resulting in the physician recommending appropriate treatment.
Q6: I experience a snapping sound from the hip when I stretch my back? I am a homemaker and daily chores require me to bend. This causes my hip to ache. I would like to know why this peculiar sound when I stretch? I am concerned. Please help.
A: If you are caught by a snap at your hip with an audibly prominent popping sound then it could probably be a snapping hip syndrome. The popping hip joints may be a cause due to an iliotibial band snap. The iliotibial band is a wide band located outside the hip joint. It is when this band snaps over the trochanter that is the bony structure which is prominent and situated on the outsides of the hip joint. Another cause can be a iliopsoas tendon snap where the iliopsoas tendon gets hold of the bony structure over the pelvic region and cause the hip to deliver an annoying snapping sound. It is always advisable to garner an expert consult on this issue and get medications or treatments prescribed.
Q7: When I stretch my arms, I have a recurrent pain accompanied by a funny sound from the shoulder joint. Why is this?
A: If you are experiencing pain when you stretch your arms, it is suggested that you consult a medical expert. The ‘funny sound’ is, in the actual, your popping shoulder joint. As you have mentioned in your question that the pain is accompanied with the popping sound, you need not neglect the condition and consult a practitioner. Another symptom is where your joints get locked and you are unable to straighten your arm thereby restricting the movement of the shoulder.
Q8: This is a question from a worried son. My mother experiences frequent joint pain. Could you tell me what are the causes of the pain she experiences. She also has popping joints, that let out a crackling sound? She feels very annoyed with this? What could be done?
A: I understand your concern. To point out the major causes, it could be as elementary as the weather giving her painful joints. The chill in the weather could sometimes make the joints go rigid. The joints might get locked and she may find it difficult to move. I am sure during summers, the aching joint pain and the popping would subside. Nevertheless, age might be one factor that contributes to joint pain. The constant wear and tear of the joints may cause popping joints and the pain. Osteoarthritis could be a cause for excruciating pain with popping joints. It is always a good idea to consult a doctor before you conclude what the problem is, all by yourself. Please do not worry.
These were some of the questions that you could refer to. As far as popping your joints does not become one compulsive fixation auguring twitches of anxiety or simply ennui, panic buttons are better left untouched.