Mar 6 2013
What Is the “Popping” Sound from a Chiropractic Adjustment?
What is that “popping” sound? Many people are unfamiliar with the mechanism of the popping sound that occurs during a chiropractic adjustment. Some people are actually scared or nervous thinking that it is causing harm or that it well hurt or it is just “gross”. I have actually had people ask if the bone was breaking. The answer of course is a resounding no! Otherwise I wouldn’t have any patients.
Here is the mechanism: synovial fluid in your joints contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases, approximately 80% is carbon dioxide. When a chiropractor adjusts, the joint capsule is rapidly stretched, which in turn increases the volume of the joint by 15-20%. This creates a sudden and rapid partial vacuum which causes the internal joint pressure to decrease. With this decreased pressure the gases rapidly release from the synovial fluid. As they reverberate through the fluid it causes the “popping sound”.
For you physic buffs this is Robert Boyle’s Law from 1662.
This is the exact same phenomenon that occurs when you open up a bottle of soda or champagne, except with the joint it is a closed system (gases do not escape into the atmosphere) and with the soda or champagne it is considered an open system as the gases do go into the atmosphere.
Once a joint “pops” it takes the gases about 20 minutes to return into the synovial fluid.
Try this: Crack a knuckle in one of your finger joints. Now immediately try it again at the same angle. It doesn’t pop. Wait 10-20 minutes and try again, this time it will pop.
What if the joint doesn’t “pop”?
Some patients think this means that the joint didn’t need to be adjusted, or that the joint didn’t move at all.
Imagine this:
A joint normally moves an inch when perfectly healthy.
Due to muscle tightness, adhesions and inflammation the joint only opens 1/4 of an inch.
To have the joint “pop” it must open 3/4 of an inch.
The chiropractor adjusts and opens the joint 1/2 an inch. No “pop”. But the joint still moved.
The result:
There is still benefit as the muscles will relax, adhesions will be broken and inflammatory chemicals will move out of the surrounding tissues, just not as efficiently as if the joint had been opened more. The more a joint is adjusted the more likely it will “pop” and thus increase the benefits of joint motion.
By the way:
Currently there are no studies that suggest “cracking” your knuckles or joint “popping” will cause arthritis.
Ask Dr. Lance Casazza about all the benefits of the proper joint motion and chiropractic care.
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Mar 11 2013
Weak, Thin Bones (Osteoporosis)?
10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 34 million more have low bone mass, called osteopenia, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Bones are NOT dead sticks holding you up. Bones continually change throughout your life, with some bone cells dissolving and new bone cells growing back in a process called remodeling. With this lifelong turnover of bone cells, you replace most of your skeleton every 10 years!
Some pictures! For people with osteoporosis, bone loss outpaces the growth of new bone. Remember Wolff’s law? (please review December 2012 blog on bone spurs). The idea of “if you don’t use it, you lose it” applies to bone! If the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become weaker due to lack of proper turnover, with decreased bony stimulus the remodeling of bone slows and new bone is not formed at the proper rate, so there is a net loss of bone mass.
Consequently bones become porous, brittle, and prone to fracture, (see picture comparison on upper left). Now look at an X-ray of the spine with normal bone density, (x-ray on left), and you see a dense matrix of bone cells or a whiter vertebral body. The arrow in the x-ray on the left is pointing to a degenerated disc, notice the decreased disc height and signs of degeneration (please review December 2012 blog on bone spurs).
Now look at the spinal x-ray on the right with osteoporosis, and you see mostly air (blackness or darkening). The bony matrix has mostly dissolved, you only see a thin white outline of each vertebra.
With the bone thinning you are at a higher risk of a compression fracture, (see below).
Why does the bone thin? There are many reasons this can occur. Here is a list the primary culprits: low estrogen levels in women, low testosterone in men, lack of calcium, lack of Vitamin D, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and medications.
What to do?
Bone density: First get your bone density checked. Always think of prevention versus waiting for this to happen and then trying to correct the problem.
Stretching/exercise: Bones demand to be stressed to stay healthy. So daily activity, weight lifting, stretching, outdoor activities, all will help decrease your risk.
Proper nutrition: Make sure you get your proper amount of Vitamin D and Calcium.
Chiropractic adjustments: Again routine care is the best way to maintain proper joint motion allowing. Proper joint motion will increase the effectiveness of the exercise and nutrition.
If you have more questions about osteoporosis, chiropractic adjustments, exercise, or diet talk to Dr. Lance Casazza.
By Dr. Lance Casazza • Adjustments, Chiropractic Treatments, Diet, Health and Wellness • Tags: bone health, chiropractic, osteoporosis, sacramento chiropractic, Spinal adjustment