Popping joints are common. Some researchers used to think the popping sound was an air bubble between collapsing bones, while others believed the sound came from the recoil of muscle ligaments. Doctors call popping joints crepitus.
Many people dislike the sound of popping or cracking joints, even though healthy joints can make noises. One study showed that popping joints made people experience negative thoughts, emotions, and even avoid healthful activities.
Although popping joints are harmless in most casesin some instances, they can be a symptom of a medical condition. The exact reasons and causes of joint popping are still under debate. More recently, in a studyresearchers using MRI technology were convincingly able to show that joint popping and cracking is not the release of an air bubble but the creation of a small space between bones.
Doctors call this tribonucleation. When talking about popping joints, professionals differentiate between a person physically popping their own joints and condition-related popping. If there is pain, swelling, limited range of motion, or a history of injury, the popping could have some links to a more serious health condition.
Popping with a link to a health condition generally occurs more frequently and can be painful. Some conditions cause popping joints to happen more frequently, such as in some forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis OA causes the cartilage in a joint to become thinner and more ragged.
This thinning and wear can cause pain as joints rub against each other, and it also has links to popping joints. Popping joints occur more frequently as OA progresses. A study found knee popping to be a predictive factor in people who have OA without symptoms.
For those Diverse frågor had OA and knee popping, they were more likely than those without knee popping to have other symptoms with their OA. Another study suggests that people with OA who also have popping knee joints were more likely to report lower physical function and knee-related quality of life.
As mentioned above, other studies show that people dislike joint popping and associate it with unhealthy joints, and so this feeling may influence self-reported findings. Popping joints can also occur with forms of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
High-pitched popping sounds from joints are more likely to be from inflammatory arthritis. Lower sounds can be from either inflammatory or noninflammatory arthritis, although this may be hard to distinguish. Although not a popping joint, inflammation surrounding tendons can also cause crunching, cracking, or popping sounds.
Injury or inflammation to the tendon or the areas around tendons, such as tendinitis or tennis elbowbursitisor tenosynovitis, are sometimes accompanied by popping sounds.