You’ve probably seen one of those viral videos online of people’s bodies popping while receiving chiropractic adjustments.
You might find it satisfying, or you might think the sound is ominous. But is hearing this cracking noise normal?
Truthfully, it’s quite normal to hear a pop during a chiropractic treatment, but at the same time, it’s not a necessity to hear this sound while receiving a chiropractic adjustment.
Wanna know what the cracking sound is? Keep scrolling to learn more!
Before That, Let’s Explore What Exactly Chiropractic Adjustments Aim to Do:
It’s crucial to first comprehend precisely what we’re attempting to help with: Chiropractors correct neuro-biomechanical issues, also known as spinal misalignment or nerve interference.
Misalignment can limit your range of motion, put more pressure on your joints, causing pain and hence, accelerate the wear and tear process in the affected area.
Your spine’s intervertebral joints are synovial joints, which means that a squishy joint capsule filled with lubricant known as synovial fluid surrounds them.
Joint capsules have a lot of nerve fibres. When a joint isn’t functioning properly, your central nervous system receives signals from nerve endings in the joint capsule.
Your central nervous system then tells the surrounding muscles to shut the area down and protect it, which is why you feel so tight and stiff when there is joint dysfunction in your body.
So, What Causes the Cracking Sound?
Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen are present in synovial fluid. During a chiropractic adjustment, your joint releases gas, which leads the air bubbles to “pop”, causing that sound you hear.
That is not the sound of breaking bones! During the gentle thrusting motion of an adjustment, the joint is ‘gapped’, creating a brief space between joints in order to realign them appropriately.
This ‘gapping’ of the facet joint creates negative pressure, leading to the tiny nitrogen gas bubbles present in the synovial fluid being briefly concentrated together, which then ‘pops’ out of the fluid.
The popping sound can come from any part of the body as long as it is a synovial joint, but it’s most commonly heard from the chiropractic care of certain regions like your neck, your back and your shoulders.
It is important to note that this does not always happen with every chiropractic adjustment! But if it does, it is nothing to worry about either.
This thrusting adjustment is usually accompanied by muscle therapy as well, to ensure your muscles and other soft tissue do not limit your joints’ range of motion and cause misalignment again.
Once normal motion has been restored, those nerves notify your muscles that it is safe to relax once more.
Because of this, following an adjustment, you typically feel so much more relaxed, looser, and lighter.
At Elite Spine Centre, we take it a step further by prescribing preventative and rehabilitative therapy that improves your long-term mobility and ensures your range of motion can be maintained post-treatment.
This might include certain exercises and stretches as well as lifestyle advice, such as how to adjust your posture in day-to-day life to prevent the relapse of subluxations.
Can I Crack My Body On My Own?
Even though neck cracking is common, it is not recommended for anyone who isn’t a professional to do it, and definitely not on our own.
This is because you run the risk of putting yourself in more pain or discomfort. Your body is made up of vulnerable nerves and blood vessels, and you wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt yourself.
Chiropractors are professionally certified to assist you in helping you with any stiffness or discomfort in your body.
We have a deep understanding of the human anatomy, helping you locate the problem’s cause and aid in its relief.
Furthermore, an adjustment might not be the best solution for your ailment!
We are able to suggest the right kind of treatment, from light therapy to spinal decompression, for your individual concern.
So, instead of trying to crack your body part without professional help, we recommend seeing a chiropractor beforehand to figure out the issue.
What Are The Benefits Of Chiropractic Adjustment?
There are a lot of benefits of chiropractic adjustment.
With the busy and fast-paced lifestyles most of us lead today, we are exposed to many forms of stress, which, over time, leads to a breakdown in our body’s ability to regulate and heal itself like it was intended to.
Chiropractic care helps the body to overcome these stresses that may have accumulated over the years in order to restore the proper healing function within our bodies.
Some other benefits of chiropractic care may include instant relief from soreness or pain, realignment of misaligned joints, feeling of lightness due to the release of pressure in the neck area, and release of endorphins.
Is Cracking Painful?
Most of the time, chiropractic adjustments are painless.
However, mild discomfort may be felt if patients (especially people who are new to chiropractic adjustment) involuntarily stiffen or resist the adjustment or if the joints are inflamed to start with.
A small number of patients will feel some discomfort after the adjustments, which is similar to the soreness after vigorous exercise or stretching. When we have not moved our joints for a while, the body may ache when we start moving them again.
However, the majority of the patients report an immediate feeling of relief, improved mobility, calmness and a sense of well-being after the adjustment.
You should NEVER feel sharp or unbearable pain when undergoing chiropractic care.
Your chiropractor should also be sensitive to your concerns and pause treatment whenever you voice out discomfort.
To prevent being in situations that can put your body in more harm and pain, ensure that you follow our tips to pick the right chiropractor for you.
Get Your Chiropractic Adjustments Professionally Done by Our Experts at Elite Spine Centres!
At Elite Spine Centres, we help you manage pain through the most comprehensive chiropractic care treatments.
Whether you’re experiencing neck pain, knee pain, or back pain, we can help improve your joint health and prevent any chance of further joint dysfunction.
We’ll be able to direct you on the next steps in order to achieve your health goals, personalising your treatment plan to address your problems right at the source, possibly preventing relapse.
If you’re a new patient, you can even request an appointment with us now to experience our promotion packages that will cover almost everything for your first two visits!
Interested to learn more? Contact us now!