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What is the perfect word for the clicking sound which happens when you stretch your bones?

When chiropractors try to do adjustments, we can hear a clicking sound on the bones.

What is that sound called?

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    Cracking.
    – choster
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 2:05
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    It's called "cracking" or "popping," and it's your body trying to tell you to get out of the chiropractor's office before he does some real damage.
    – deadrat
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 2:07
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    Is that true .. , I thought going to Chiropractors fixes your problems ..
    – goofyui
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 2:11
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    Only if you believe that to be true. A massage therapist will do wonders.
    – ewormuth
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 2:12
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    @deadrat At the risk of going off-topic, medical evidence does not seem to support the hypothesis that joint cracking causes arthritis or other pathologies.
    – March Ho
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 2:39

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This phenomenon is known either as "popping" or "cracking".

This Scientific American article describes the cause of the popping and cracking sounds when joints are moved quickly.

To understand what happens when you "crack" your knuckles, or any other joint, first you need a little background about the nature of the joints of the body. The type of joints that you can most easily "pop" or "crack" are the diarthrodial joints. These are your most typical joints. They consist of two bones that contact each other at their cartilage surfaces; the cartilage surfaces are surrounded by a joint capsule. Inside the joint capsule is a lubricant, known as synovial fluid, which also serves as a source of nutrients for the cells that maintain the joint cartilage. In addition, the synovial fluid contains dissolved gases, including oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

The cracking or popping sound is thought to be caused by the gases rapidly coming out of solution, allowing the capsule to stretch a little further. The stretching of the joint is soon thereafter limited by the length of the capsule.

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    P.S. Don't ever use the words "crack" or "pop" when speaking to a chiropractor - they are regarded as blasphemous: "Help, Doc, I'm stuck - you gotta crack my neck!" "Are you telling me that you need an adjustment of your cervical subluxation?" (They'll do it every time...)
    – Oldbag
    Commented Aug 18, 2015 at 13:16

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