Whilst in the midst of a good stretch, I was extending my arms straight out and slightly behind my torso. All of a sudden, I felt/heard a popping noise going on down the middle of my chest.
AFAIK, there are no joints in that area. So, what the heck made that noise?
There was no pain involved and it wasn’t my heart exploding since I am still around to type this.
whoa i can do the same thing. it sounds like it is coming from the sternum right? it only happens to me if my muscles are tight from working out a day or two before. also if i pop it too hard, then the area actually feels like i strained something.
Not sure, but I believe the pop is often caused by tendons “snapping” against one another or against a bone. IOW, a joint is not necessary but is simply where most tendons tend to be concentrated so that’s where you usually hear a pop.
I’m sure someone will be along with a more definitive answer.
There are joints in your chest, where your ribs meet your sternum. They don’t move much, but it’s still a point of articulation between the bones & cartilage.
Sometimes, the popping sound is actually a tendon moving over a bone. Sounds creepy, but still harmless (I’m a student in massage school, and we covered this last semester. I apologize that I don’t have a cite).