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Understanding Chiropractic Care and the Popping Sound

Neck Pain Doctor

If you have ever watched a chiropractic adjustment video on Youtube, you know the sound associated with adjustments. When a patient receives an adjustment, it sounds as though the bones and joints crack or pop.

One of the most common questions new patients ask is, “does the popping hurt?” While the popping is painless, it is only one part of understanding how chiropractic care is beneficial.

Why Do Your Joints Pop?

Patients go to the chiropractor for chronic pain, backaches, headaches and neck pain. To ease the pain and help restore balance, the chiropractor will use manual adjustments or spinal manipulation. When carrying out the procedure, joints are bound to pop. As a neck pain doctor  like our friends at AmeriWell Clinics can explain, this is entirely healthy and harmless.

Don’t be alarmed by the popping sound. Some people believe that the sound involves your spine, but in reality, it is joint cavitation. Joint cavitation occurs when tiny pockets of air build up around the joints. The pop you hear is the air being released and reducing pressure on the spine. The chiropractor will use gentle, rapid and firm movements to stretch the spinal joint during the adjustment. 

Can You Pop Your Joints?

If popping your back can help reduce pain, can you do it on your own? Some people attempt to crack their back regularly, but it is not recommended that you try it yourself. If you pop your back, you could pull a muscle, tendon or cause other damage to your body. Your actions could be detrimental to your back. Instead, you should only trust a trained professional with adjustments.

What Does Chiropractic Care Do for You?

The pop of an adjustment is satisfying in more ways than one. After an adjustment, you may feel relief from your pain. If you have pain related to a mechanical issue in your body, the chiropractor can identify it and immediately fix it. Adjustments assist the body’s function because it eliminates pain and restores strength and mobility. If you have mobility issues in your joints, the adjustment may coax your muscles to work and reduce inflammation in your joints. When you receive an adjustment, you may find that you are more productive.

When it comes to chiropractic care, the pop you hear is painless and signs that the chiropractor is providing you with relief. To find out if you could benefit from an adjustment, set up a consultation with a chiropractor as soon as possible.

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