Key Takeaways
- The popping sound isn't bones cracking or grinding.
- Joints contain fluid, and the pressure change during an adjustment turns some of it from liquid to gas, which makes the pop.
- A pop doesn't mean the adjustment worked. The goal is restoring motion.
Many people assume the popping sound during a chiropractic adjustment means bones are cracking. In this myth-versus-fact video, Dr. Parsons explains what's really happening.
What Causes the Pop
Before chiropractic college, Dr. Parsons thought the popping noise was bone grinding on bone. What she learned is that every joint contains fluid, which keeps it from creaking. During an adjustment, the pressure inside the joint changes, and that fluid shifts from a liquid to a gas, which makes the popping sound. She tells little kids it's either "bone farts" or popcorn.
The Pop Isn't the Point
The pop doesn't have any real meaning. What an adjustment actually does is restore motion to the joint. So whether or not you hear a pop, it doesn't tell you whether the adjustment was successful.
Curious what else chiropractic care can help with? Learn more about our chiropractic care, or see how adjustments work beyond the spine.
Read the full video transcript
Popping sounds mean bones are being cracked. That's a myth. Before I went to chiropractic college, I thought that popping noise was bone grinding on bone, something really dramatic. What I learned was that every joint has fluid in it. That's why we don't creak. When we're doing an adjustment, we cause a pressure change in the joint, and that fluid goes from a liquid state to a gas state, and it makes a pop. I tell the little kids it's either bone farts or popcorn. But the pop doesn't really have any meaning. What we're really doing is inducing motion. So whether you pop or you don't (I know you guys like to hear it), it really doesn't mean it was a successful adjustment. It just means you had a lot of bone gas. Remember that myth.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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