It’s a bit of a myth that ‘cracking’ anything in your body leads to arthritis.
What a ‘crack’ is when you do it (or when it is done to you), when the joint (where two bones meet), opens suddenly and an air bubble is formed then is pushed out. This creates that cracking sound. The technical term for this is a ‘cavitation’.
Interesting?
Even more interesting is that ‘cavitations’ (not cavities) causes the surrounding muscles to relax due to its effects on the local nervous system. This is why ‘cracking’ feels good, but doesn’t always last.
If you have a tendency to crack, it mainly means that the joint is stiff, and when it is forced, it separates easily rather than smoothly gliding on itself. The stiffness is made worse when your muscles are tight and aching.
If your muscles and joints are stiff, it’s usually associated with what you do during your day. It could be your sitting posture, work habits, that long game you played on the weekend, or some weight you’re carrying (but are thinking of getting rid of, am I correct?).
Talk to your physiotherapist if you’re concerned, and they can perform a postural screening process to determine where you lack mobility and need stretching. We don’t just crack backs, we find out what’s going on.
In the rare case, cracking in the back can be a sign of arthritis. But this is very rare. Most of the time, you’re just stiff. Give us a call!
