What does a crackling sound that is emitted when rolling the shoulders indicate? back muscles are extremely tight, lots of knots and pain

Cracking: The noise elicited from rolling shoulders can come from the shoulder joint or the scapulo-thoracic joint( shoulder blade rubbing against ribs, and is a normal variant unless it is painful.

Muscle spam: Shoulder, presence of spur/ tear in tendon, can give you crackling sound 's tightness( nuts), muscle/ tendon in spasm.

Time for care: Massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic, or combination to reduce stress/spasm in muscles. The noises are usually hydraulic if from joints--fluid being forced from one spot to another quickly. Sometimes attributed to muscle / tendon / ligament bands if more generalized. Should be seen and evaluated for mgmt plan.