Popping joints can occur for any number of reasons, including normal fluid and gas in your joints, rubbing of bone orcartilagein your joints against each other, and movements of your tendons and ligaments.
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While this rarely causespain, it can be unsettling, especially if it occurs frequently or is significant.
In general, joint popping does not cause arthritis, is not a sign of a serious medical illness, and is not dangerous.In rare cases, however, you may need to see your healthcare provider about it.
Popping can occur in any joint of the body. Some of the common ways this occurs include flexing orrotating your ankle, opening and closing your hand,or moving your neck.
In some cases, popping is something you might feel rather than hear, especially in yourknee.
Common Culprits
Here’s a look at some of the most common reasons behind popping joints, roughly ordered from less concerning to more concerning.
Nitrogen Bubbles
The tissues of your joints normally makesynovial fluidto lubricate the surrounding area, protecting them from abrasion as you move.
Bubbles of nitrogen, a component of this fluid, can form in your joints. When those bubbles escape, in a process known as cavitation, they make a popping noise.
When you crack your knuckles, you are forcing the nitrogen bubbles inside the synovial joint fluid out.
This can also occur unintentionally when you walk, exercise, or get up from a still position. It takes time for nitrogen bubbles to form again, which is why you can’t crack the same joint until about 10 to 30 minutes pass.
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Ligamentsare composed of strong fibrous connective tissue that connects bones.
Your ligaments can be tight and may pop when you suddenly move or rotate at an unusual angle. This can cause a jolt of pain, or it may not cause any pain at all.
Manipulation
Chiropractic vs. Surgery for Herniated Disc
Rough Joint Surfaces
Joint surfaces can become increasingly rough due tocartilage lossor the development of osteophytes (bone spurs) associated withosteoarthritis. This can result in your joints making loud noises when you move. this is known as crepitus.
In osteoarthritis, the popping may occur more frequently as the disease progresses.
How an Osteophyte (Bone Spur) Develops
Tendon Snapping
Tendons are composed of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscles with bones. They can make popping noises as they snap around a joint.
This is seen commonly in a condition known assnapping hip syndrome, also known as dancer’s hip.
Surgery or Injury
Popping can be more frequent after joint surgery or a joint injury. It often subsides as you heal and regain flexibility and range of motion through exercise and movement, but can continue if ligaments form scar tissue known as adhesions.
Ligament Tearing
A popping sound may be related to the actual tearing of a ligament, which will cause pain and swelling.
When to Seek Medical Help
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
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A Word From Verywell
On their own, popping joints are not predictive of future problems. You do not need to worry that the habit of cracking your knuckles could cause you to have problems later in life.
Causes of Knee Popping
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Powers T, Kelsberg G, Safranek S.Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis?.J Fam Pract.2016;65(10):725-726.Dunning J, Mourad F, Barbero M, et al.Bilateral and multiple cavitation sounds during upper cervical thrust manipulation.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2013;14:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-14-24Bureau NJ.Sonographic evaluation of snapping hip syndrome.J Ultrasound Med.2013;32(6):895-900. doi:10.7863/ultra.32.6.895Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ligament Injuries to the Knee.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Powers T, Kelsberg G, Safranek S.Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis?.J Fam Pract.2016;65(10):725-726.Dunning J, Mourad F, Barbero M, et al.Bilateral and multiple cavitation sounds during upper cervical thrust manipulation.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2013;14:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-14-24Bureau NJ.Sonographic evaluation of snapping hip syndrome.J Ultrasound Med.2013;32(6):895-900. doi:10.7863/ultra.32.6.895Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ligament Injuries to the Knee.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Powers T, Kelsberg G, Safranek S.Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis?.J Fam Pract.2016;65(10):725-726.Dunning J, Mourad F, Barbero M, et al.Bilateral and multiple cavitation sounds during upper cervical thrust manipulation.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2013;14:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-14-24Bureau NJ.Sonographic evaluation of snapping hip syndrome.J Ultrasound Med.2013;32(6):895-900. doi:10.7863/ultra.32.6.895Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ligament Injuries to the Knee.
Powers T, Kelsberg G, Safranek S.Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis?.J Fam Pract.2016;65(10):725-726.
Dunning J, Mourad F, Barbero M, et al.Bilateral and multiple cavitation sounds during upper cervical thrust manipulation.BMC Musculoskelet Disord.2013;14:24. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-14-24
Bureau NJ.Sonographic evaluation of snapping hip syndrome.J Ultrasound Med.2013;32(6):895-900. doi:10.7863/ultra.32.6.895
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ligament Injuries to the Knee.
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