Why You Don’t Always Hear a Crack During a Chiropractic Adjustment
By Dr. Tim Fargo, Chiropractor
Sometimes patients will comment when they get adjusted that they didn’t hear anything crack or “go”. The truth is that the cracking sound is not really what we’re aiming to accomplish with a chiropractic adjustment. The result that we are looking for when we adjust people is to have misaligned or restricted joints regain alignment and movement. Doing so then creates a host of positive consequences including decreased muscle spasm, reduced inflammation, increased movement, and often a feeling of well-being and pain relief. The crack that you hear when you get adjusted is not the end goal of care, but a common byproduct of the process. It is often the case that we will perform an adjustment, there will be no audible release, but all the objective markers that the intervention has been successful are present. We feel increased joint movement, decreased pain, decreased muscle spasm, improved general mobility and performance. Those are the things that we seek and not just the sound that is made when joints release. There are patients who have very tight or inflamed joints and who, when we adjust them, do not get an audible release.
The converse of not hearing a pop when you are adjusted is randomly manipulating joints, hearing popping noises, and thinking that something therapeutic has occurred. In fact, virtually any joint in the body can be adjusted and a popping sound produced. That does not mean that anything therapeutic occurred. What I would encourage you to do is have your chiropractor demonstrate to you the results of adjusting both before and after doing so. Then you will better understand what it is that we seek to accomplish. I joke with people that were not in the business of creating “crack addicts”. Rather, we are in the business of restoring function, health, and performance; and that can be done without any noise being made whatsoever. Don’t hesitate to ask your chiropractor to both explain and show you how what we do works. At Chiropractic Health and Wellness, we love teaching and sharing.
Ready to experience the real benefits of chiropractic care, beyond just the “crack”? At Chiropractic Health and Wellness, we’re focused on restoring your function, health, and well-being, whether you hear an audible release or not. If you’re curious about how adjustments can help improve your mobility and reduce pain, we’re here to explain and demonstrate the process every step of the way.
Schedule your appointment today and let us help you on your journey to better health!
