If Snap, Crackle and Pop are having a party in your vertebral column, don’t stress: you might not be completely over the wall yet.

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Why do joints crack

A popular theory for joint cavitation (popping sound) used to be explained by the build-up of nitrogen gas bubbles in the joint space, which would burst with a popping sound when under compression.
New research by Kawchuk et al. (2015) shows something completely different. Have a look at the following dynamic MRI of a finger joint cavitation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJLU-4M-hdE). According to the authors, certain forces exerted on the joint in specific positions forms a vacuum-like cavity between the two bony surfaces. This cavity then briskly fills up with joint fluid. Forces are exerted on the tough, fibrous joint walls, causing the popping sound.
Another theory that also holds ground, is that of muscle tendons sliding over bone, and sometimes causes a popping sound. This type of popping is more prevalent in cases of tendinopathy or muscle spasm in the surrounding soft tissue.

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