The latissimus dorsi muscles, known as the lats, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your arms to your vertebral column. They help protect and stabilize your spine while providing shoulder and back strength.

The latissimus dorsi muscle is a large, triangularly shaped back muscle that helps you do things like pull-ups, swimming and even breathing. It functions to stabilize your back while extending your shoulders. The latissimus dorsi muscle is often called the “lats” or the latissimus for short.

Lats is the abbreviated term for the latissimus dorsi, a large muscle located on the back side of the body. The lats get their name based on their location, which is the lateral (side) and dorsal (back) part of the human body. The lats attach to the pelvis, lower and mid back, and inside of the upper arm.

The latissimus dorsi muscle, whose name means “broadest muscle of the back,” is one of the widest muscles in the human body. The superior border of latissimus dorsi forms the lower border of the triangle of auscultation. The lateral border of the muscle forms the medial border of the lumbar triangle.

When your latissimus dorsi is injured, you might feel pain in your low back, mid-to-upper back, along the base of your scapula, or in the back of the shoulder. You may even feel pain along the inside of the arm, all the way down to your fingers.

Use your fingers (or tools like foam rollers and massage balls) to press firmly into the trigger points. Repeat for three to five minutes, ideally as often as five or six times per day. “It needs to be part of the daily routine,” Dr. Adams says.

Muscle adhesions feel like a snap, crackle, pop when your therapist works on them. But it is the fascia or lining around your muscles that balls up from repeative movements. The heat from friction and pressure your massage therapist applies allows the fascia to contract back into place.

This popping or crunching feeling is breaking down what has built up, the body is then more able to flush out these toxins. Some clients may wince at this feeling others describe it as a ‘good pain’ and it instantly feels better once this has been done.

As any massage therapist will tell you, it is completely acceptable to fall asleep during a massage session. In fact, it is a very healthy and normal reaction to an extremely relaxing stimulus.

Massage therapists are trained to feel where knots occur by looking for tension in the back, neck and shoulders. They find this tension and release it by applying deep compression with their thumb, fingers or elbow, and holding for 20-30 seconds.

What does crepitus sound and feel like? Crepitus is a sensation or noise when you move a joint. You may experience it as clicking, cracking, creaking, crunching, grating or popping. The noise could be muffled or heard by others.

Crepitus is often caused by tiny gas bubbles that form and then collapse within the joints. This type of popping does not typically cause pain.

The first line of treatment for this condition includes rest, ice, compression, and elevation, or “RICE.” Anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy exercises can also relieve it. If these do not help, splinting, surgery, or both may be necessary. They may help to realign part of the knee.

Neck crepitus is thought to occur when structures in the spine rub together and make sounds. One suggested cause of neck crepitus is the formation and collapse of tiny gas bubbles, caused by pressure changes within the joint.

Chronic pain and stiffness in the neck that may be worse with upright activity. The sound or feeling of popping in the neck when moving. Involuntary contractions of the muscles (spasms) that cause pain or a loss of movement or headaches that start from the neck. Numbness and weakness in the arms, hands and fingers.

You may hear or feel clicking or grating as you move your head – this is known as crepitus. It is caused by bony surfaces moving against each other or by ligaments moving over bone. Other joints often make these sounds but they often seem louder in the neck because they are happening closer to the ears.

Other names. Posterior cervical sympathetic syndrome. Barré–Liéou syndrome is a traditional medical diagnosis that is not utilized frequently in modern medicine. It is a complex combination of symptoms, amounting to a headache syndrome, that was originally hypothesized to be due to cervical spondylosis.

Articular cartilage forms a smooth covering over the surface of healthy joints. If your joint has been injured or becomes inflamed, the surface may thicken, creating a rubbing sound as you move. A courser grinding or crunching may indicate more advanced changes in the surfaces of one or more joints.

The Cervicocranial Syndrome is a group of associated symptoms that are collectively caused by an abnormality in the neck that can be congenital or acquired due to an injury. The disorder is sometimes called Craniocervical Junction Syndrome. It is usually caused by a degenerative spine condition such as osteoarthritis.