When you move, you might sometimes hear your jointscrack.

This is known as crepitus, Latin for “rattle,” as perHealthline.

These littlepopsmight either give you relief, make you feel mildly uncomfortable, or inspire no sensation at all.

Woman cracking her finger joints

However, hearing all the cracking might leave you concerned about the health of yourjoints.

After all, surely these sounds aren’t normal.

You probably noticed that the older you get, the more of these types of noises you hear.

Man holding painful knee joint

There’s a reason for that.

Read on to determine when the snap, crackle, and pop might indicate a problem.

Instead, that belief is merely an old wives' tale.

Woman stretching on yoga mat

When should you worry about your joint cracking?

“If there’s pain, you may have an injury then that requires treatment.

Arthritis, and the joint noises that occur because of it, can be painful.

The sounds you hear might indicate your bones are grinding against each other if your cartilage has worn away.

According toHealthline, the sounds you hear can result from your muscles moving.

When those bubbles or cavities pop, then you hear cracking.

Dr. Kim L. Stearns recommended gentle stretching to help loosen up your tight muscles.

“When you’ve been sitting or lying around, fluid in the joints doesn’t move.

The more active you are, the more your joints lubricate themselves.”

Grab a yoga mat and get into the habit of stretching regularly throughout the day.