The Science of Sound

When people go to a Chiropractor, they often hear a popping sound associated with their spinal adjustments. Sometimes this can seem startling coming from the joints directly behind us in our back and it can seem even louder coming from our neck right next to our ears. But there is no need for concern, because this is a very common and normal expectation with care. Chiropractic is very safe and very sound in its science and practice.

    The science of the sound of a spinal joint is actually pretty cool. As it turns out, we are all full hot air, right around 98.6 degrees to be exact. This is a normal biological function, as every cell in our bodies takes in nutrients such as water, food and oxygen every moment we are alive. In turn, these same cells also produce waste in the same form of liquids, solids and gases. In particular, we eliminate these gases throughout our bodies from our tops to our bottoms, and even through our skin! 

    Gases also build up in the air spaces between any of the hundreds of joints throughout our body. That means if any one of our joints hasn’t moved through its full range of motion for a while, any additional movement can cause these gasses to be pushed out of the joint space…and presto! That’s the mysterious popping sound. So, it’s not anything breaking or cracking or anything bad. We are really just walking talking whoopee cushions.  

    However, there’s more to the science of that sound. People assume that when they hear their joints make a noise during their adjustments, that the sound is the adjustment itself, but it’s really not. That sound is like the click of a light switch. The click itself doesn’t turn on the light but it is often associated with the lights coming on. Furthermore, many light switches don’t make any sound at all while the same amount of light fills the room like another switch that might make all kinds of sounds. The sound just comes along for the ride.

    Adjustments don’t depend on your joints making a sound, but it happens often enough that we expect it most of the time. There are many adjustments that don’t make any sound and there are also many sounds that come out of a joint that aren’t adjustments at all! Just because a joint makes a sound doesn’t mean you are adjusted. The only determination for whether you are adjusted comes from a specific assessment of your nervous system. Chiropractic was founded on the tone of the nervous system, not the sound of any joint.

    Your spine also doesn’t make a noise when you need an adjustment either. For a little perspective, your nerves never make a sound when they get interference much less when the interference is removed. Your mouth might make an ouch sound because something got on your nerves but the nerves themselves are always silent. What is even more misleading is that the sound of the ouch comes from a different place than the injury. If you stub your toe, your toe never makes a sound.

    We’ve all had experiences where we’ve had spills and thrills, and heard any number of sounds come out of our joints as we do a gravity check with a fall. Although we may have earned nerve interference in the process, the sounds from an accident are never the interference itself. Chiropractors often refer to nerve interference as silent killers because people don’t know to see a Chiropractor regardless of an injury. They suffer in silence.

    There are also many people who can make all kinds of popping sounds out of their joints without an adjustment just by walking down the street or even simply shifting in a chair. There are also many people that can generate sounds out of their joints whenever they want. A general rule is if you can’t make the same sound out of the same joint right away, that’s just air coming out of the joint space as was mentioned earlier. 

    A rule of thumb is if you can reproduce the same sound immediately, like by moving your wrist or foot around, that is not air but is usually the sound of tendons rubbing on the bones around them. That may be caused by an injury that loosens the joint and allows it to move different than it normally would. It could also mean there is a certain habit that might be forcing the body to move in that direction excessively as well. Either way, it usually isn’t bad for you, although it may annoy the people around you while you are doing it.

    There are many ways to deliver Chiropractic, so if you don’t like the sound of your joints with a traditional adjustment, you have other options to receive the same care. There is a way to adjust everybody and in any circumstance, to clear the same spinal interference. The most important thing is that your body is free of nerve interference. No matter the reason, rest assured that when you see a Chiropractor, they will get to the cause of the commotion and allow you to function at your best.