# Is a "pop" when you move your shoulder normal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597 "2023-03-24T16:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/1 "2023-03-24T16:28:12Z")
Of course you are not my physician and I’ll bring it up at my next physical… I’ve noticed in the last 6mos or so that my right shoulder “pops” frequently when I move it and especially at the gym when lifting weights. There is no pain associated (MAYBE a very mild and temporary ache once in a while, but sometimes I think I’m imagining that) but it is a relatively recent phenomenon and my left arm doesn’t have the same issue. Is this something worth being concernd about? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/2 "2023-03-24T17:00:20Z")
My shoulder pops since recovering from a dislocated shoulder 3 years ago. My doc says to just add it to the growing list of new noises my body makes as I age. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/3 "2023-03-24T21:41:53Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > My doc says to just add it to the growing list of new noises my body makes as I age. Physicians are so helpful. The medical term for this phenomenon is _crepitus_, but there is no specific cause. Anomalous popping or cracking is widely attributed to entrained gas escaping from the joint and collapsing (as it does with “cracking knuckles”) but I have yet to see definitive medical research on it. I have a shoulder that was first dislocated in late childhood, and that has been dislocated several times since, and it makes a wide array of popping and cracking noises when I articulate it or attempt a handstand or muscle up. It doesn’t seem to presage any failure of the joint (although I am always careful not to put it into positions under load that I know can cause it to dislocate) and so far no arthritis or other joint issues. If the o.p.’s shoulder doesn’t hurt or cause other problems I wouldn’t get overly concerned about it. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/4 "2023-03-24T21:58:57Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Anomalous popping or cracking is widely attributed to entrained gas escaping from the joint and collapsing (as it does with “cracking knuckles”) To be more precise, for the “cracking knuckles” bit, it is gas coming out of solution under negative pressure. Which is why you generally can’t “crack” immediately again - it has to resorb into solution. Most other pops and cracks are not crepitus, nor are they from gas in a joint. They are tendons snapping over bony prominences, and those can immediately snap over again. Normal or abnormal depends on specifics. Crepitus is a completely different sound, a “finer” … crinkling? crunching? … sound/feel. Like rubbing fingers over coarse sand. It sometimes happens in kneecaps with cartilage damage, or can be felt above the collarbones when air has leaked up there with a pneumothorax. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/5 "2023-03-24T22:04:28Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Crepitus is a completely different sound, a “finer” … crinkling? crunching? … sound/feel. Like rubbing fingers over coarse sand. It sometimes happens in kneecaps with cartilage damage, or can be felt above the collarbones when air has leaked up there with a pneumothorax. I stand corrected. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/6 "2023-03-24T22:36:30Z")
appreciate the responses, folks! ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/7 "2023-03-24T22:39:38Z")
A pretty common one is your bicep tendon slipping over the humeral head. It can become painful and I’ve already had one bicep tenodesis done–they move it off to the side to get it out of the way. Not that big a deal, but not something you want unless you need it… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/8 "2023-03-25T04:36:36Z")
I’ve always been able to move my right shoulder in a certain way to make a popping/grinding noise (and a movement that I feel inside). I lack that skill with my left one. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I stand corrected. But do you handstand corrected? ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/9 "2023-03-25T06:38:44Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’ve always been able to move my right shoulder in a certain way to make a popping/grinding noise (and a movement that I feel inside). I lack that skill with my left one. Same here. My physical therapist said it’s something that’s not going to go away. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/10 "2023-03-25T15:26:23Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > But do you handstand corrected? These days, I’m doing well just to kick up and not crash headfirst into the ground. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-pop-when-you-move-your-shoulder-normal/981597/11 "2023-03-25T16:45:21Z")
I would agree with @DSeid’s characterization. If in your shoulders while lifting, it is likely the tendons or ligaments sliding over the bone. The shoulder is very different from the hip. The joint where the arm joins the shoulder are essentially bony plates, where the arm is essentially held on the shoulder by tendons and ligaments. This is unlike the hip, which has a very deep socket. So tendons and ligaments are important to shoulder movement and stability. If you dislocate your shoulder, it is difficult or impossible to use that hand to touch the opposite shoulder. If you have no pain or movement restriction than it is likely nothing to worry about. Possibly a touch of inflammation (necessary to cause muscle growth) or a diet too high in Rice Krispy Squares.