Popping joints
Why do I feel less stiff when I pop my joints?
I have noticed that people who tend to be very flexible leaning toward hypermobility (which can be excessive range of motion, even laxity, or looseness, in the joint) come to therapy with a complaint of feeling stiff or tight. I’m not speaking about someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which is a genetic issue that can cause changes in connective tissue resulting in a tendency to be very bendy and flexible and also at risk for joint dislocation. I’m talking about people who report symptoms of stiffness that are alleviated by popping their joints. My youngest daughter does this quite a bit. She’ll start at her fingers, then wrists, elbows, neck, lower back, hips and lastly, ankles. She’ll go through this whole cycle many times throughout the day. Sometimes, it seems that she does this routine several times an hour. In my observation of her, I notice she does this when she has been in one position for a short while like when we are watching a movie. She will say she does it because she feels stiff from being in one position. But, if I check her mobility and range of motion, she has higher than average mobility. She’s very flexible. And, yet, she says she feels stiff. To me, this perceived stiffness comes from a lack of consistent movement and exercise. It comes from staying in one place or position for an extended timeframe.
It used to be advised for people not to pop their joints all of the time because healthcare people thought that popping your joint would lead to arthritis. This has not been proven to be true. With all of the science we have available, we still aren’t quite sure what is making the “pop” sound. When a joint does pop, however, scientists have discovered that dopamine is released, and you get a dose of “feel good” medicine. Popping the joints also leads to a little stretching that occurs around the joint and in my opinion, this alleviates the stiffness and tightness that people feel despite having normal or above normal range of motion.
My suggestion for eliminating this felt sense of stiffness is to change your position often and move through your full range of motion actively instead of twisting your neck or lower back or popping your joints. Take some time to move and change your position. If you are in your home or office, get up and move around the room. Instead of sitting and leaning forward, try reclining with your back supported to vary your position. If you have been laying down on your back, roll from one side to the other. If you are driving or riding in a car, stop the car, get out and move around. If you’ve been standing for a while in one spot, bend and straighten the knees, march in place, shift weight from side to side, raise the arms up and down and look from side to side, up and down. Use your muscles to help you to move rather than trying to pop your joints.
If you are to curious to know if you are hypermobile, here’s a few quick tests you can do!
Using the Breighton Scoring system, score one point for each of these tests if you can do them. The higher the score, the more hypermobile you tend to be. A positive Breighton score is any score greater than or equal to 5/9 points in adults, 6/9 points in children (before puberty), and 4/9 points in adults over age 50.
Pinkies- Test both sides. Rest your palm on a flat surface. Try to lift the pinky finger with your opposite hand assisting. Does the knuckle at the base of the finger bend farther than 90 degrees? If so, score one point per hand.
Thumbs- Test both sides. With arms out straight and palms facing down, bend your thumbs and wrists toward your forearms. Score one point on each side where the thumb touches your forearm.
Elbows-Test both sides. Lift your arms out to your sides. Turn palms up and straighten the elbows. Score one point on each side that hyperextends beyond a straight elbow position
Knees- Test both sides. While standing, allow the knees to extend as far back as they will go. If the knees hyperextend more than 10 degrees, score one point on the side that hyperextends. 2 points if they both do.
Spine- Keeping the knees straight, lean forward and try to touch the floor. Score one point if you can rest your palms on the floor with the knees straight.
Try these tests and see what you score. If you do tend to score in a range that is considered more toward the hypermobile side, my suggestions would be to change your position frequently in order to decrease the stiffness you feel. Frequent changes in position could be as frequent as every 15 minutes up to every 45 minutes. Taking a couple of minutes as a mini-break to change your posture and position can help alleviate stiffness without popping your joints.
What was your score on the Breighton Scale? I would love to know!
Take good care,
Sharon