why do we hear a "tick" sound on stretching our arms?

Question

the "tick" sound which we hear on stretching our arms. why?

Answer 1

The gel in our joints and our ligaments are snapping

Answer 2

There's a bomb in your arms - dive for cover! I just stretched my arms three times and never heard a tick sound. Of course, I don't really know what a tick sounds like. I didn't know they made any noise.

Tendons, ligaments, and bones can make a lot of noise as you move (because of the friction caused when they rub together or the joints clicking together). My toes sound like Rice Krispies (snap, crackle, pop) when I walk. Everyone is a little different. As long as there is no pain when it "ticks", you should be okay.

Answer 3

It's caused by the same mechanism that creates sound when you 'crack' your knuckles (or any other body part - neck, back, etc.. that 'cracks').

The physical mechanism is unknown, but possibilities that have been suggested include:

cavitation within the joint – small cavities of partial vacuum form in the fluid then rapidly collapse, producing a sharp sound (hypothesis in a medical journal)
the sudden stretching of ligaments (hypothesis by one reader of that journal)
release of gas from the joints being adjusted (this applies to the popping that can occur in any joint such as during chiropractic manipulation)
adhesions being broken, which simply means that as two cartilage surfaces are pressed together, they form adhesions, and when the joints are separated this makes the popping or cracking sound.
A single event is not enough to cause damage to the joint, although it is possible that prolonged joint stress due to cracking knuckles may eventually lead to a higher risk of joint damage. The long-term consequences of this practice have not been studied thoroughly, and the scientific evidence is inconclusive. However, the common parental advice "Cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis" may be simply a device to deter children from this practice, which many people find annoying because of the sound it makes. In fact, a study by Castellanos and Axelrod found that arthritis was not a product of knuckle cracking. They evaluated 300 consecutive outpatients at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital to determine whether habitual knuckle cracking is a risk factor for hand dysfunction. They found no relation with osteoarthritis, but noted that 'knuckle crackers were more likely to have hand swelling and lower grip strength.'

A chiropractic perspective:

"As a joint is being distracted, the capsule invaginates inward and as the stress on the capsule reaches a certain threshold, it suddenly snaps back from the synovial fluid, increasing the volume of the capsule (and decreasing pressure) and causing the audible sound. The sudden increase in the volume causes the tension to drop, allowing the joint to increase in movement. Eventually, the elastic limit of the capsule is reached and the process stops. The time elapsed during all this is shorter than that required for completion of the stretch reflex, so it can occur without muscular resistance. The sudden jerk on the capsule and the other periarticular tissues is theorized to cause firing of the high-threshold mechanoreceptors." [1]
Another alternative description can be found in the e-book "The Missing Owners Manual" which describes the process of adhesions forming between cartilage surfaces, and how chiropractic releases those adhesions.

Answer 4

It is the sound of the gas escaping from your synovial fluid in your joints

Answer 5

I think that be bone or cartilage rubbing against one another. Not your bones cracking or anything like that just rubbing. I get that a too.

Answer 6

no ticking here.