What’s That Cracking Sound I Sometimes Hear When I Get Adjusted?
Sometimes when a joint moves, you may hear a pop or cracking sound. This is called joint noise. It is usually caused by changes in pressure and gases inside the fluid of the joint.
But here’s what is important: the sound does not mean an adjustment happened.
Think about cracking your knuckles. You may hear a pop, but that does not mean something was wrong or needed to be corrected.
The same is true with your spine. A spinal joint can make a popping sound without a vertebral subluxation being corrected. An adjustment can also happen without making any sound at all.
That is why your chiropractor does not use the sound to decide whether an adjustment was successful.
First, we carefully check your spine to determine if a vertebral subluxation is present. When needed, we use a gentle, specific force to help your body make the adjustment.
Afterward, we check your spine again using the same method we used before the adjustment. This helps us see whether there has been a change.
The “pop” is not the goal. The post-check is what helps us evaluate the change.