What's that cracking sound in your joints?

In , I received this awesome question:

"Is it good, bad or neutral that muscles and/or bones crack? (And tendons? Can those even crack?)"

When my clients do yoga with me, there's A LOT of cracking and popping sounds coming from their bodies 😅

It's one of those things that have been happening forever, but we don't quite know why or how they work. So let me clear that up for you today!

Where do these sounds come from? And more importantly, should you be worried about them?

First of all, they don't come from your muscles, nor your bones (if one of your bones crack, this is very bad news).

They can have several causes:

  • Release of gas from your joint The joint is the part of your body where two bones meet. Some fluid is released there to allow for smooth gliding between your bones. And this fluid contains gas. When you stretch the joint capsule, some of this gas is released and it makes a popping sound. It's harmless. (but don't crack your knuckles, it's annoying)
  • A tendon or ligament snapping back into place Sometimes a tendon (that connects muscle to bone) or a ligament (that connects a bone to another) slightly changes position. When it comes back to its original place, it can make a cracking sound. It's harmless... but it could also irritate the tendon if you do it too much. If you can reproduce the popping sound at will, simply by doing the same movement over and over again, it could be a tendon rubbing against a bone repeatedly (it often happens in the hip, I can show you mine if you want 😄) Do it too much and the tendon will swell, which will make it rub against the bone even more... which will make it even more inflamed, etc. Not fun, trust me.
  • Osteoarthritis This is the least fun one, but if you have osteoarthritis, your joints do not glide as well as when they were healthy. The cracking is usually painful, so you will know if this is happening to you.

TLDR: if no pain accompanies the cracking sound, there's usually nothing to worry about.

Hope that helps :)

See you soon on the mat 🧡 Om, peace.

Clem

PS: for some reason, I was interviewed for a blog. It's a quick read, and it's right there if you're interested!