“What is that popping noise?”

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Picture cracking your knuckle. When you stretch your finger out to the extreme, you are pulling the joint apart. As you do so, you create more space within the joint, thereby increasing the volume, and as a consequence, decreasing the pressure within the joint capsule. In this environment of low pressure, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen gases that are dissolved in the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint become less soluble and form a gas bubble. The audible “pop” is the result of the gas bubble being ruptured by a rush of synovial fluid trying to quickly fill the empty space created by the bubble. The same explanation goes for the pop you hear when a health practitioner adjusts your joints.
In short, “that popping noise” is NOT putting a joint that is out of alignment back in position. It is the result of age-old physics properties, which in the case of our joints, result in the creation of movement or flow within stagnant synovial fluid. By mechanically increasing the flow of synovial fluid, nutrients enter and waste products are flushed out of the joint’s synovial fluid more readily, thereby increasing the overall health of the joint.

Thanks to Bahram Jam for his clarity on this topic.