Snap crackle and pop! Your joints, just like the cereal characters!
One of the most common “problems” or concerns most novice and intermediate exercisers have are about their joints.
Is it bad? The answer is no. The science behind the noises is just because that’s how your body naturally relieves any tension built up there. These cracks and pops are just pressure relief! That’s why it feels so good to do them daily.
This being said, cracks and pops are however an indication from the body that’s telling you how rusty you are! Joints are much like a machine, if you don’t maintain and use them to their fullest capabilities often, they will rust, creak and break!
Maintenance of a machine would require mechanisms to be well-oiled, well put together, and frequently used.
Maintenance of your body would require your joints to be properly warmed to increase the viscosity of fluids surrounding the area, in place, and aligned to where they should be by using the muscles to pull them into position and also using various full range of motion movements to keep the mechanism working to its fullest capabilities.
Here’s this week's guest post Coach Stephen’s thought on your body making noises:
We've all heard our joints pop and crack from time to time. I know I've heard my knee while getting up after sitting for a while.
This phenomenon is known as "crepitus" which describes a popping, clicking, or crackling sound in a joint.
The common belief is that if we hear these sounds, it's an indicator that something is wrong, possibly that the joint is tight or that there is some underlying pathology that could affect us down the line.
However, this is not true.
One study on patellofemoral pain (PFP) in women found that while kinesiophobia, catastrophism, knee stiffness, strength, and physical function are all impaired in women with PFP, this all occurred regardless of crepitus. (2)
In saying that, the same study showed that those who were pain-free with crepitus had poorer objective function overall. (2)
Another study found a similar result, with no meaningful correlation found between crepitus and pain. (3)
But this doesn't tell the whole story.
One study found that crepitus is a poorly understood symptom that we haven't defined well in terms of a specific cause. It, therefore, creates feelings of anxiety and worry which then creates inaccurate beliefs, which then alter our behavior. (1)
Our beliefs and expectations about the condition of our body and how we should feel can have a significant effect on our actual experience of pain.
If we're afraid to move because we're afraid of hearing any popping and cracking noises, then it can have a negative downstream effect on our overall movement, mobility, and levels of pain.
You can see how it can create a negative feedback loop of pain and dysfunction.
What's worse is that this feedback loop is reinforced by many healthcare professionals, with many patients citing that this fear of crepitus started with a professional telling them that it's a sign of damage or injury. (1)
There's still a lot we don't know about the source of crepitus, but we do know that it's a completely normal phenomenon and not something you should be worried about. We've found people in pain with and without crepitus as well as those who are pain-free with and without it.
At best we can describe it as a pressure release within a joint, usually of air or other gases within the joint space.
Crepitus does not indicate dysfunction., so don't worry about your knees or shoulders cracking when you move. We need people to move more, not less.
To your good health,
-Coach Stephen
Coach Stephen is a Rehab Expert and has gone into depth about this question on his website at: https://www.strumosfitness.com/post/do-noisy-joints-indicate-dysfunction
Note: References are available on Coach Stephen's website.
Do your joints make sounds while working out?
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