It is common for many people to hear a certain sound or “cracking” during several daily activities. What explains why we hear these “creaks” during our movements? How to explain those obtained voluntarily, as during a chiropractic manipulation?
This is what we will try to clarify in the next lines!
The main source of production of “crunches” is undoubtedly the joints. Indeed, they can come from the knees, fingers, hips, jaw and much more. However, although all these different sounds are often grouped together in the same category, there are in fact several origins to these famous “cracks”.
Indeed, it can be:
- a crepitus (sound sometimes heard during flexion/extension of the knee, coming from the articular surface of the patella for example),
- snapping (which can occur in the hip when the tendon of one of the hip flexor muscles rubs against a bone stop, also known as “snapping hip syndrome”)
- or even cavitation (phenomenon in which the liquid in a joint turns into gas following a change in pressure, then the latter escapes from the joint, thus causing a sound).
Usually, sounds like crackles and pops are repeatable over a short period of time. We can therefore reproduce the sound several times within a few minutes by performing a particular movement. In the case of the click, it is often a friction or a passage on a bone stop, so as long as we repeat the same gesture, it is possible to hear a sound.
While for cavitation, it is a phenomenon that can only occur again after several minutes for the same joint, despite continued movement. This is what happens during a chiropractic manipulation. A “voluntary cracking” is obtained, insofar as a precise force is applied to a targeted joint and a cavitation generally results. However, it should be remembered that cavitation is not a sign of success or failure of the manipulation. Indeed, the aim is rather a normalization of the articular amplitudes and the neurophysiological effect known for this intervention.
So, although “crunches” are quite common in our daily lives and during certain chiropractic procedures, they do not have a significant impact on our health. However, if these are accompanied by symptoms such as pain, it is important to consult a health professional to determine the cause of these symptoms.
Dr. Guillaume Coovi-Sirois, Chiropractor
References
-Kawchuk, G. N., Fryer, J., Jaremko, J. L., Zeng, H., Rowe, L., Thompson, R., & Zhang, Q. (2015). Real-time visualization of joint cavitation. Plos One, 10(4), 0119470. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0119470
-Brodeur R. (1995). The audible release associated with joint manipulation. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 18(3), 155–164.
-Dunning, J., Mourad, F., Barbero, M., Leoni, D., Cescon, C., & Butts, R. (2013). Bilateral and multiple cavitation sounds during upper cervical thrust manipulation. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 14, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-14-24
-Reggars, J. W. (1998). The therapeutic benefit of the audible release associated with spinal manipulative therapy. a critical review of the literature. Australasian Chiropractic & Osteopathy : Journal of the Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia, 7(2), 80–5.es d
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Dr Guillaume Coovi-Sirois
Chiropractor
