What's the "Pop" or "Crack" Sound?

The  audible sound that happens during a chiropractic adjustment is one of the most misunderstood component of chiropractic. To explain what the “pop” or “crack” noise is, it must be understood that this audible is not the objective of chiropractic. So often I will hear a patient or someone I meet say, “Doc can you “crack” me?” I know their intention is sincere, but to doctors of chiropractors and patients who understand chiropractic, this is absurd. The real objective of a chiropractic adjustment is to restore nervous system function and proper structure of the spine. The causes of these misalignments or subluxations (shifting of the spine) are from accidents, slips & falls, poor posture, birth trauma, heredity factors i.e. scoliosis, etc. etc. Nerves stress and poor mechanics lead to devastating consequences to the function of our body over time. So what is the noise?

The sound during the adjustments happens in response to the sudden change in pressure in the spinal joint, along with nitrogen air molecules coalescing together. It’s similar to opening a Champaign bottle - the sudden pressure change along with the air bubbles coming together makes the sound. When people share their experiences of chiropractic with others by saying their chiropractor “cracked” or “popped” their neck or back and now feel better. That’s a misleading description of what’s going on and I can see why some people have a skewed sense of what chiropractic is. A better description of what’s occurring during the chiropractic adjustments is it’s removing nerve stress and/or nerve pressure and normalizing the spinal structure leading to better function and a healthier person.

The sound during the chiropractic adjustment is NOT bone rubbing on bone. Bone rubbing on bone would be called arthritis. If it was deteriorated or degenerated to that level, it would be called severe arthritis and would be exceptionally painful. Again, the noise during a chiropractic adjustment is simply air pressure in the spinal joints. There are some techniques or ways to adjust the spine that don’t elicit the sound so often associated with chiropractic.

About the author:

Dr. Gordon Fimreite, is clinical director at Chiropractic In Chicago Loop. He's been practicing chiropractic for over 15 years and has a passion for chiropractic and health. He is state and board certified in chiropractic and graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic, the founding college of the chiropractic profession and the first such college in the world. Dr. Fimreite can be reached through his website at http://www.ChiropracticInChicagoLoop.com or his clinic at (312) 888-1707.