Common "Popping Sound" queries answered by top doctors | iCliniq

Popping Sound

Popping and cracking sounds in the finger and knee joints are pretty common and do not necessitate medical attention unless and until accompanied by pain and swelling. In medical terms, it is referred to as crepitus. Causes include cartilage degeneration, popping air bubbles, and snapping of ligaments over the bony structures.

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I could feel on and off cracking and popping noise around my jaw and wrist. Is this bad?

Query: Hello doctor, My jaw pops and cracks and it has been happening for like two years. It used to be worse but it comes and goes. Also, when I move my wrists, there is a cracking or popping noise. Sometimes, my wrist locks and I have to roll it to fix it. Is this bad? I am a female.   Read Full »


Dr. Atul Prakash

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Fingers popping is common and not considered to be a cause for worry. It, however, must be remembered that you should avoid popping them. Jaw cracking is another condition that as long it is not painful can be observed, but if you have pain in the areas just in front...  Read Full »

Can a bone in the throat break by yawning?

Query: Hi doctor, I yawned and heard a popping sound and got hurt. Did I break something in my throat? Can a bone from the throat be broken due to yawning?  Read Full »


Dr. Muhammad Zubayer Alam

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thanks for the query. I can understand your concern. According to your statement, you have been suffering from pain in the throat after yawning. And your query is about the possibility of breaking a bone from the throat after yawning. I think it is impossible, and only...  Read Full »

When I open my mouth, the left side of my jawbone near my ear opens more widely than the right one. Kindly help.

Query: Hello doctor, When I eat, my jaw makes a popping sound, but it does not hurt. The jawbone near my ear makes this popping sound even when I open my mouth. When I open my mouth, the left side of my jawbone near my ear opens more widely than the right one. I have been experiencing this issue for four ...  Read Full »


Dr. Ummah Mohammad

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I can understand your concern. First of all, if it does not hurt and inflammation is not there then it does not involve risk. In fact, in some people, it does pop for always but as you said it began four years ago in your case so just wanted to know if there was any in...  Read Full »

There is a clicking sound post-pectoral implant surgery. Why?

Query: Hello doctor, I am about four days postoperative from pectoral implant surgery with liposuction. Recovery is going well. No fever or unusual swelling, etc. I have what I feel to be a normal pain. My only concern is that sometimes (not always and not with same movements) I hear what sounds like a gur...  Read Full »


Dr. Pavan N Murdeshwar

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. What your surgeon has said is true. Few days postoperative may be until two weeks there will be slight crackling sound near and around the implant site. It is normal. The space created for the implant during surgery is what makes that sound. Nothing much to worry abo...  Read Full »

I have penile pain post-masturbation. Is it Peyronie's?

Query: Hi doctor, I used to masturbate thrice a week, but about 37 days ago, I stopped for a week. And when I resumed later, there was a mild pain in my penis, which I ignored and continued to masturbate. But I heard a soft popping sound, and I ejaculated, and there was no pain then. After that incident, I...  Read Full »


Dr. Sharath Kumar. C

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I went through your query and understood your concern. There are two possibilities for your condition: mild soft tissue injury to the base of the penis during masturbation or an acute Peyronie’s disease. Peyronie’s disease has two phases, acute (active) phase, and ...  Read Full »

My left ear pops while talking and singing. Kindly help.

Query: Hello doctor, I have had a popping left ear for at least six weeks which has not developed much worse but has not improved. After getting a cold, I started getting a painful throat on the right side. It feels swollen, but the doctor assured me there was no swelling of any glands. It is still uncomfo...  Read Full »


Dr. Mohammed Osama Aboborda

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I suggest you continue chewing gum. This will restore your eustachian tube function, and the popping can be decreased. Drink warm fluids, and avoid cold, icy, and spicy foods. I suggest you take an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory drug such as Ibuprofen tablet once o...  Read Full »

I am concerned about currently having a lot of popping in my neck in C5 to C6, and also my frozen shoulder that has started to ache a little. Please help.

Query: Hello doctor,I am currently having a lot of popping in my neck in the C5 to C6 area. I have had pain for two months over the deltoid insertion after an incident with a blender. I had a spoon in the blender and accidentally hit the on button and the spoon I was holding hit the blade and it jarred my ...  Read Full »


Dr. Anuj Gupta

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniiq.com. I read your query and understand your concern. I would like to ask you the following questions, What do you do? How much physical activity do you have in your daily routine? I would be able to give proper advice after knowing the answers to the questions....  Read Full »

What does popping sound while opening the mouth indicate?

Query: Hi doctor, I got facial pain, headaches, popping sound while opening jaw, pressure and sometimes neck pain as well. I got patchy mucosal thickening of ethmoid sinuses from a CT scan. I have attached my dental x-ray. Are my symptoms due to sinuses? Or do I have TMD of right mandible? Most of my sympt...  Read Full »


Dr. Sandeep Menon

Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Since the symptoms you have mentioned are strongly suggestive of temperomandibular joint disorder (TMD), you will need an advice from an oral surgeon and a neurologist. Avoid chewing anything hard on the right side in the meantime. A popping sound heard is the commones...  Read Full »

Why does my spine pop when I squeeze my shoulder blades together?

Query: Hello doctor, When I squeeze my shoulder blades together, my spine always cracks or pops (like cracking your knuckles). I do this maybe 20 times a day. I think it is becoming a habit. It helps to loosen it up. What causes this? Do I have muscle weakness? It has been an ongoing pain for three years ...  Read Full »


Dr. Sumit Chawla

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. The sounds coming from the spine is called as snapping of joints. A synovial joint is a joint where two bony surfaces are enclosed in a capsule with synovial fluid enclosed in it. It is like sound coming from two wet surfaces placed together and now separated. It is a ...  Read Full »

Can Stress And Anxiety Cause Joint Problems?

Query: Hello doctor,I am a 27-year-old male with no history of joint issues. Can stress and anxiety cause joints to pop? I was good last month but this month it has been really stressful for me and I know my hands feel stiff and all my joints pop. When I raise my arms, one can hear the tendons stretching l...  Read Full »


Dr. Mashfika N Alam

Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Random clicking and popping joints is a common occurrence and as long as there is no associated pain or swelling, there is nothing to worry about at a young age such as yours. Excessive stress and anxiety can make your muscles taut. This can happen during periods o...  Read Full »

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