Overview
- Crepitus is the medical term for the popping or clicking noise produced when joints move.
- Sudden pressure drops in synovial fluid allow carbon dioxide bubbles to form and burst, creating the audible crack.
- Joints require roughly 15–20 minutes to ‘reset’ before they can produce the same popping sound again as gas dissolves back into the fluid.
- Anatomical factors such as ligaments snapping over bony prominences can also generate clicking sensations.
- Current research finds no direct causal link between habitual joint cracking and arthritis, though cartilage damage from existing arthritic conditions may cause painful clicks.