I am sure it is not only me asking myself this question. Should I worry that my joints are popping while doing yoga or having a massage? Or even worse, should I worry when my clients’ joints click during a massage or yoga session?
The creepy crepitus
Crepitus is the medical term describing all of the sounds that joints make – clicking, popping, snapping, and more. Sometimes these sounds can be a bit creepy. A sudden loud pop in my left hip bone while doing yoga. The soft but very distinct creaking of my knees while I am going down the stairs in the early morning silent house. The pop in my back while receiving Thai massage. And it is easy to jump to the conclusion that they are caused by dysfunction in the body such as weakness, instability, or tightness. Or that something horrible just happened to us.
What are those sound in the first place?
Well, it seems the answer to that question was unclear for a while and scientists couldn’t agree what these sounds were. Nowadays, some common explanations include bones and tendons coming in contact with each other or air bubbles forming or collapsing in the joint cavities [Ref].
Should I worry about my joints popping or creaking?
Going through the science literature, it seems, not much. Or at least, not most of the time. It is definitely clear that all cases where sounds are accompanied by pain, swelling, or acute injury, should be seen by a doctor. If pain is not present and the noise is asymptomatic then there is nothing much to be concerned about.
One study, for example, found that 99% of healthy knees make sounds and there was no correlation between unhealthy knees and clicking sounds [Ref]. Actually this same study found that the sounds in the knee can decrease with age and degeneration.
The same is valid for the hip where the popping sound is commonly the result of tendons moving over bony parts. This is a common asymptomatic condition which may occur in up to 10% of the general population [Ref].
What about noises during massage?
Some of the noises during Thai massage stretches are the same as those happening during yoga. So if there is no pain, they shouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes the pop can be heard while the therapist is using acupressure to release tension in the tissues. Again, this shouldn’t be an issue if the acupressure is applied slowly and gradually. The sounds might actually indicate that more space is created in the body, tension is released around the joints and they are free to move farther.
So overall, enjoy your joint sounds, find a therapist that you trust and do yoga mindfully and with respect to your body. And pain is always your body telling you that something needs attention.
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