I. What? Do your joints ring too? Many people experience this in their daily lives. A turn of the neck or a twist of the waist often makes a series of “clicking” sounds. Some people are curious and wonder if they have a fracture? A displaced joint? Or what should not grow a small thing? In fact, these small sounds are called joint popping. Second, doctor, what do you mean by joint popping? Vibration is the cause of sound. That must be the case with joint popping. The movement of a joint is like the movement of a mechanical structure, with rotation, sliding, friction, and so on. In general, stable and moderate movement of the joints does not cause ringing, mainly because the joint cartilage is cushioned and shock-absorbing and the joint fluid in the joint cavity is lubricated, so the sound is not easily heard. Why can joint popping be heard? The main reasons are as follows: 1. The gas in the joint cavity is caused by the ringing in the joint cavity. The joint cavity is a closed cavity, and the pressure inside the cavity is much lower than the atmospheric pressure, which makes the joint surfaces close to each other and is one of the many factors that make the joint stable. Also, the presence of synovial fluid in the cavity is an important factor in making the joint flexible. When the joint is at rest, the stability is better, the joint fits tightly, and the volume in the cavity is smaller. When the joint is active, on the other hand, the joint is pulled by the surrounding muscles and there is a tendency for the volume of the joint cavity to increase, causing a tendency for the intracavity pressure to decrease. This may result in a more pronounced local low pressure area. The joint fluid also has a certain amount of gas dissolved in it, and when the pressure drops instantly, the gas is partially released and converges to the low pressure area, creating a large vibration in the joint cavity and causing a popping sound. This is similar to the moment a Coke is opened, the volume increases, the pressure decreases, and the gas overflows, resulting in the “bared-” sound. And a small amount of gas dissolved and disappeared to a certain time, which is why the popping can only occur at certain intervals of time mechanism. This shows that this kind of ringing is mostly physiological ringing. 2, due to structural abnormalities in the joint Normal articular cartilage is smooth and flat, and the synovial membrane is tense without excess creases. But when these structures are abnormal, it may lead to ringing. In the knee joint, for example, when the disc meniscus, meniscus tear or patellar chondromalacia, the joint movement surface is no longer flat or compliant, abnormal vibration will occur and then the popping sound will appear. Clinically, meniscal injury is one of the main causes of knee popping. In addition, when excessive exercise or sports injuries, inflammation repeatedly stimulates synovial degeneration and hyperplasia, resulting in synovial crease syndrome, in which the synovial crease protrudes into the joint cavity or even slides over the patellofemoral joint during knee movement, which can also trigger the occurrence of popping. This type of ringing, more than the existence of the basis of injury, can be considered pathological ringing, often combined with other symptoms. 3, the soft tissue around the joint due to abnormal activity As we all know, each muscle and each bone in the human body has its normal range of activity. If they leave the normal range of motion, they may cause additional friction or vibration, which in turn may cause a popping sound. The main reason is the thickening of the posterior edge of the iliotibial bundle or the anterior edge of the gluteus maximus tendon. When the hip joint is flexed, internally retracted or internally rotated, the thickened tissues slide back and forth on the greater trochanter, causing vibrations and a popping sound. This type of snapping occurs in patients with tight iliotibial bundles or gluteus maximus hypertrophy. Now that the etiology is understood, it must be understood that joint popping is not always abnormal. Joint popping can be divided into two categories: physiological popping and pathological popping. Therefore, if it is a physiological rattling, then you do not need to worry too much. Third, what kind of joint rattling needs medical attention? As already analyzed, pathological rattling is mainly caused by abnormalities in joint cartilage, synovial membrane and other structures, and often the rattling caused by such causes is only part of the clinical manifestations. When there is joint degeneration and lesions, such as chondromalacia patellae, articular cartilage damage, meniscal tears, joint dislocation, etc., the joint sounds are usually accompanied by other symptoms and pathological changes, such as pain, swelling, limited joint movement or even abnormal movement. In this case, it is necessary to go to the hospital as soon as possible and determine whether the joint is misaligned or damaged to avoid delaying treatment. The appearance of limited joint movement and joint dislocation are obvious signs of joint abnormalities, such as patellofemoral joint dislocation and shoulder joint dislocation. The appearance of such conditions must be taken seriously. Some people say that you can get arthritis by breaking your fingers? Mechanistically pursued, normal popping is mainly due to gas spillage or abnormal soft tissue activity, and does not directly cause bone or joint damage. Meanwhile, the American Journal of Family Medicine reported in 2011 on the relationship between finger wrestling and arthritis, in which a sample size of 215 people, ranging in age from 50 to 89 years, was investigated. Follow-up joint radiographs and clinical examinations revealed no direct relationship between the two, and finger wrestling was not a risk factor for arthritis. Therefore, finger breaking under normal circumstances does not directly cause arthritis. However, it is important to remind everyone that finger wrestling is a fun activity that should be done sparingly, in case of inadvertent damage to the soft tissues of the joints, which really needs to be treated.