We all have heard the clicks.. :)
Am talking about the joint clicking.. Which happens during some normal movements, exercising and also during the treatment by joint manipulation given by chiropractors and manual therapists.
Did it click you that what could be the cause.. is it normal or abnormal.. should we consult a doctor!?
Let me assure you first of all.. That if the joints are clicking without any pain then its normal and not anything abnormal.
The most common joints that click are the knuckles, knees, ankles, joints of the spine ( your back and neck when you twist it). The causes are -
1. A healthy joint is comprised of bone surrounded by smooth cartilage, which is protected by a capsule lined with synovial membranes that produces fluid. This fluid contains oxygen,nitrogen and carbon dioxide gasses. When joints crack, it is the result of the joint capsule being rapidly stretched, which causes the formation and release of gas bubbles. The release of gas can cause the popping sound you feel and sometimes hear.
If this is the cause of the sound, then once the sound is produced by a certain movement, the sound wont be reproduced for repeated movements for few hours (till those gases diffuse again into the fluid)
2. Sometimes healthy joints produce a popping or snapping sound (quite similar to clicking) which could be because of the rubbing of tendons (of usually tight muscles crossing the joint being moved)
If this is the cause of the sound then the sound will be reproduced with repeated movements. And this can be reduced by doing proper stretching of all your muscles before starting with any activity.
3. Unhealthy joints have rough surface which rub together to produce sounds and they are accompanied with pain or other symptoms like joint swelling and redness or tenderness (pain on touching the joint.)
There are people we know who gladly crack and click their joints as a habit. Many researches have been done if knuckle cracking causes any harm to the joints and it has been concluded that there have been no difference in people who crack their joints for years and people who dont.
Medical doctor Donald Unger cracked the knuckles of his left hand every day for more than sixty years, but he did not crack the knuckles of his right hand. No arthritis or other ailments formed in either hand, earning him the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine, a parody of the actual award.
(If you are still in doubt about the clicks and cracks coming from your joints it is advisable to seek medical advice.)
References -
- Deweber K, Olszewski M, Ortolano R. (2011). "Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis". J Am Board Fam Med 24
- Brodeur R. (1995). "The audible release associated with joint manipulation.". J Manipulative Phys Ther
- Simkin, Peter (November 1990). "Habitual knuckle cracking and hand function.". Annals of Rheumatic Disease 49
