What is that mysterious “Popping” noise?

Ever wondered what exactly that click, pop or crunch sound is when your horse has their neck or back manipulated? Well read on to find out!

Let’s start with what it isn’t. It isn’t crunching bones back into place. If you think about it, if I was able to “crunch” bones back into place, imagine the catastrophic consequences of a missed/badly timed beat of rising trot or jump landing would have, as the riders entire body weight bounced down on the horse’s back.

Here’s what science tells us is actually happening. The click/pop that you hear during manipulation is what we call a cavitation. Our horses spines (and your own spine) is made from lots of bones called vertebrae. Between each of these bones there are two small joints, the left and right facet joints which you can see in this picture of a model human spine. These joints contain fluid called synovial fluid. When you move these joints in a certain way at high speed these joint surfaces move away from each other or gap. This results in a sudden negative pressure within the facet joint resulting in the formation of tiny bubbles (cavities) causing an audible click/pop.

The fast movement from manipulation results in an increased range of motion in the joint, improves proprioception, increased local circulation and a reduction in pain. It can also decrease pain in other areas through an increase in pressure pain thresholds (reducing the body’s sensitivity to pain) as well as affecting the area of the brain associated with pain experience (somatosensory cortex!).

As with humans, manipulation isn’t suitable for everyone. Older individuals and those with certain health conditions are not suited to this technique. As always, your chiropractor, physio or osteopath should always assess and discuss this on a case by case basis.