Cracking - It’s all about the bubbles.
Osteopaths have a number of therapeutic techniques at their disposal, one of the most famous probably being the use of manipulations which elicit ‘clicks’ from their patients’ joints. Scientists still don’t fully understand how these noises are generated, but what is agreed, is that they are connected to the presence of gas bubbles inside the joints as they are suddenly stretched and expanded.
The phenomenon was first studied in 1938 when spots were seen to form on X-rays of joints after they were stretched. These spots were suspected to be gas bubbles, and henceforth their formation was thought to be responsible for the characteristic clicking noises.
The theory wasn’t taken forward until 1971 when a large artificial model of a finger joint was built (well someone had to do it). This model showed that noise was generated within 0.01 seconds of an artificial ‘manipulation’ of the joint. The noises were attributed to the dispersal (collapse) of gas bubbles that appeared in the joint, and this ‘collapsing bubble’ theory held good for nearly 50 years.
Then in 2015, just when osteopaths and chiropractors across the world had perfected their explanations of what produced the sounds, some bright spark decided to record what happened when he clicked his finger inside an MRI machine. What he discovered was that the noise was caused by the creation of a large bubble in the joint, and not from bubbles collapsing. This phenomenon was given the fancy name of ‘tribonucleation’, and we now appear to be back where we were in 1938!
Whilst I find that manipulation is a very useful tool for loosening joints and relaxing muscles, I do understand that not every patient likes the techniques. For this reason, I always work with my patients to see what will work best for them, which for some may mean more gentle joint movements and a focus on the soft tissues.
If you are looking for an East Grinstead Osteopath please get in touch with:
Cliff Russell, Registered Osteopath
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