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?
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Bubbles popping.
Your joints are encased with a shock-absorbing fluid called synovial fluid. This stuff is non-newtonian – it’s liquid normally to lubricate your joints and reduce friction. But a sudden shock solidifies it to protect your joints.
Synovial fluid can get gas bubbles in it, and applying pressure pops these bubbles.
Surgery on a joint typically includes disrupting the synovial fluid in some way while also modifying the joint itself, leaving the fluid more susceptible to these bubbles until the joint heals.
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