What happens when your ankles and knees crack?

Question

I recently had surgery on my ankle and have started walking again. I find when I stretch or move it, it cracks and pops a lot more then it ever did before. This doesn’t cause pain, and sometimes even feels nice, but what makes the noise?

In: 4417

Answer 1

To add on to what the other comment is saying, the gas that makes the “pop” is nitrogen, an inert gas that composes much of the atmosphere. The popping is when the gas escapes the joint, and no, there is nothing bad about popping your joints, and having joints that pop a lot don’t really mean anything.