Many people experience situations when their joints pop and crack. You may also be one of them. The issue usually affects your knees and fingers. You can pop or crack the joints at will like the knuckles, your shoulder, etc. Keep reading to learn more about it.

How to Pop Your Shoulder

It is not easy to master the art. The reason is that your shoulder is a combination of complex joints in your body. It is, therefore, important to develop some understanding of the basics. The shoulder blade consists of your upper bone called humerus and your shoulder blade called the scapula. It's a ball and socket joint – upper arm bone moves within the shoulder blade.

In order to pop it, you will have to take your wrist up behind your head and then pull it with your opposite hand slowly, then lower your arm and pull behind your back gently. It is important to take special care when learning how to pop your shoulder because any carelessness may lead to a dislocated shoulder.

How to Pop Back Your Dislocated Shoulder

While trying to pop your shoulder, you may end up dislocating it. This could be painful, but you can try to pop it back by following a specific procedure. It usually takes ten minutes to pop it back. Here's what to do.

1. First, confirm your shoulder is actually dislocated. If it is, you will notice certain symptoms such as deformity of the shoulder, sudden pain around your shoulder blade, pain in your forearm, etc. If your pain is severe, you will be better off seeking medical attention.
2. If no medical help is available, you should lie down in a comfortable position. Let your shoulder joint relax. Then make sure your shoulder muscles and joints relax in order to pop it back. (If you're popping other's shoulder back, ensure that they stop crying and writhing before you proceed.)
3. Slowly stretch your arm out to the side. Now, lift it over your head while making sure your elbow moves away from your side. If you feel pain, slow down.
4. Now, rotate your hand behind your head as if you're going to scratch the back of your neck. Don't make quick movements. Be slow and relaxed.
5. Reach for your opposite shoulder once your hand is right behind your head. Doing this will bring your shoulder back into its position. If it pops back, you will experience sudden relief of pain. You will be able to move it without so much pain, which means you've learned how to pop your shoulder back.

Always keep in mind that it is not always easy to pop your shoulder back, and pain associated with shoulder dislocation can be quite serious. If you experience more pain by moving your shoulder, you should seek immediate medical attention and avoid trying your own newfound knowledge.

Here's a video that will help you learn how to pop your shoulder back:

Should You Be Worried If Your Shoulder Pops Itself?

You may notice snapping and clicking of your shoulder due to everyday use, and you don't usually need to worry about it. This is a normal occurrence, especially if you experience no pain.

However, if you experience clicking sound with pain, you should see your doctor. Also, your age will have a role to play here.

• If you're under 35, your shoulder noises indicate joint instability. This is more likely the case if you have double-jointed shoulders. With loose joints, it is easy to get the ball part of your arm bone out of the shoulder socket. This may also happen due to an injury to your shoulder muscles. You can resolve it with physiotherapy.
• If you're between 35 and 60 years old, you may notice grating accompanied by pain. The pain becomes severe when you reach behind your back or over your head. This usually happens due to impingement syndrome. Due to the wear and tear of regular use, the tendons around your shoulder become inflamed, leading to grating and clicking. Physiotherapy helps correct the issue, but you may sometimes have to take a steroid injection to reduce inflammation and pain. Severe cases sometimes require keyhole surgery.
• If you're above 60 and notice a painful grating sensation when you move your shoulder, this could be due to arthritis. An X-ray may help identify the exact cause.