# What Happens when your Back Cracks and Pops during Yoga Practice ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017 "2019-02-05T17:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/1 "2019-02-05T17:24:54Z")
I’ve taken up Yoga a couple of months ago and enjoy it quite a bit, although it’s definitely more intense than I expected. Now, in some positions, I feel (and hear) a very clear cracking sound in my upper back. What happens then ? Is it comparable to cracking your knuckles, from a “mechanical” point of view ? On the whole, it feels really good, but the initial impression is surprise, followed by a sharp but very brief pain and only then relief. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/2 "2019-02-05T18:37:20Z")
It means that someone stepped on a sidewalk crack. Are you a mother? Seriously, I suspect that “back cracking” is due to the same phenomenon as “knuckle cracking”, which is the formation of and destruction of bubbles in synovial fluid. > **[Joint cracking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_joints)** > > Joint cracking is the manipulation of joints to produce a sound and related "popping" sensation. It is sometimes performed by physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and masseurs in Turkish baths pursuing a variety of outcomes. > The cracking of joints, especially knuckles, was long believed to lead to arthritis and other joint problems. However, this is not supported by medical research. > The cracking mechanism and the resulting sound is caused by dissolved gas (nitrogen gas) cavitation... ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/3 "2019-02-05T19:06:39Z")
Or it could be that as you stretch and twist and assume whatever position causes this, you are in fact adjusting your spine. Not uncommon in my experience, i know several people who do that just by twisting their upper back a bit. Heck, I’ve done to myself now and then, and yes, the sensation is as you describe. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/4 "2019-02-05T19:16:35Z")
Realized I needed a cite, went get one, all I could find were thinly veiled ads for chiropracters and missed the edit window in the process ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/5 "2019-02-05T19:23:24Z")
Are you warming up first (several minutes of jogging, star jumps, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-your-back-cracks-and-pops-during-yoga-practice/829017/6 "2019-02-05T19:29:00Z")
No real warm-up to speak of, but I do walk for 25 minutes on my way to the studio (is that how it’s called ?).