No Popping Sounds During Your Adjustment? Here’s Why Your Chiropractic Visit Still Worked

Most people associate chiropractic care with the popping or cracking sounds that sometimes happen during an adjustment. So, when a visit to the chiropractor is quiet, it’s natural to wonder: Did the treatment even work? The short answer is yes, your visit was still worth it! Fewer pops do not equate to your chiropractor doing a bad job. In fact, the presence or absence of those sounds has very little to do with how effective the adjustment is.

To understand this, first you must realize what the “pop” actually is. The sound, called a joint cavitation, happens when gas bubbles within the joint rapidly release after a change in pressure. It’s similar to the sound made when you crack your knuckles. This release can accompany an adjustment if a joint is being stretched or mobilized to a large degree, but it isn’t a measure of how well the spine was adjusted or whether alignment was restored. Sometimes an adjustment is perfectly executed without producing any noise at all.

Your doctor will agree–every patient’s anatomy is different, and several factors influence whether a joint cavitates. Things like muscle tension, hydration levels, joint spacing, and even breathing patterns can affect whether you hear a pop. Some areas of the spine also make more noise than others. A chiropractor’s technique also matters—gentler methods like instrument-assisted, drop-table, or soft tissue mobilization are designed to realign and relax joints and muscles without producing much sound. These quieter techniques can be just as, or even more, effective for certain patients, especially those who prefer low-force adjustments or have conditions that make traditional manipulations impractical. 

What’s more important than the sound is how your body responds after receiving an adjustment. Do you feel looser, more mobile, or less tense? Are you standing taller or breathing easier? Those are the real signs of a successful adjustment. Chiropractors often evaluate success through changes in motion, muscle tone, and nervous system response—not just through what you hear during the session.

Long story short, if your last appointment didn’t sound like a bag of popcorn, don’t worry. The goal of chiropractic care is movement and function, not noise. As your muscles relax and alignment improves, you may notice more pops over time—or none at all—and still get great results. The key is how you feel, not how it sounds.