What’s With All the Cracking? (And Should You Worry?)

Have your wrists been feeling a little stiffer, weaker, or more sensitive lately?

We've all been there.

You bend your knees… crunch.

Point your toes… pop.

Rotate your hips… click click.

Turn your neck… sounds like a bag of potato chips collapsing.

If your joints provide their own music in class — you’re normal.

Here’s what’s happening:

1) Tiny gas bubbles

Your joints contain fluid that keeps everything gliding smoothly. Dissolved gases live inside that fluid, and when pressure changes with movement, bubbles form and collapse.That quick collapse creates the familiar pop. Not bones grinding. Not damage. Just physics.

2) Tendons shifting

Sometimes a tendon slides over a bone and snaps back into place — common in hips, ankles, knees, and the neck. That dramatic neck crunch? Usually small joints and soft tissue resetting after stiffness, not things breaking. Think of it like a zipper that finally moves again.

3) Stiffness from time or sitting

Overnight (or after a long day of being in a car), joints lose a bit of lubrication and motion. When you finally move, your body basically says: “Ahh yes… movement.” …and releases a few sounds along the way.

Normal cracking is:

✔ painless

✔ not swollen

✔ not unstable

Check it out if you feel sharp pain, catching, or swelling.

Why Pilates helps:

Movement actually makes joints quieter over time:

• improves circulation

• spreads joint fluid

• strengthens supportive muscles

So ankles, knees, hips, toes — and your potato-chip neck — popping during class isn’t your body falling apart.

It’s your body warming up.

And those first few cracks usually mean you’re about to feel a whole lot better by the end of class. 😊You’re not imagining it — and you’re certainly not alone! Like many areas of the body, our wrists naturally change as we age.