For decades chiropractors call that sound of cracking your knuckles or joints a cavitation which is a mechanical event. Actually, the correct term is tribonucleation, which is also a mechanical phenomenon. There is wear and tear in cavitation which is not seen in tribonucleation. Clinically, being able to produce those sounds is not a sign of a problem but usually a change (easily being able to and now a person can’t) could be a sign that something is amiss. Also, what body parts a person has to leverage to create enough tension in the joints to get a tribonucleation can be problematic as too much torque could be placed on another spinal or extremity joint.
I have a feeling the term cavitation will not disappear easily from the chiropractor lexicon as it’s easier to say than tribonucleation. However, if you’re an engineer, yes the correct term is tribonucleation.
