Ask Mike: Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?
Hey Guys,
You know how when you’re at a party and you crack your knuckles, there’s always that one guy who says you’re going to get arthritis? Is he right? Does cracking your knuckles really cause joint problems?
Nope. Cracking your knuckles is perfectly safe. When you crack your knuckles what you’re really doing is popping the joint in and out of its socket. The knuckle is held in place with a lubricant called synovial fluid. When you crack ‘em, the bones pull apart away a bit and the pressure that surrounds the fluid reduced. Bubbles form and then pop. That’s the sound you’re hearing and experts call it cavitation.
It usually takes about half an hour before you can crack again. That’s because it takes a while for “the gas to redissolve into the joint fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles won’t crack,” according to HowStuffWorks.
As for whether or not you’re hurting yourself, fear not. A doctor from The Johns Hopkins University explains that any risks associated with knuckle cracking are minor. “There is no evidence that cracking knuckles causes any damage such as arthritis in the joints.” However, one study did find that people who cracked their knuckles often did have reduced grip strength.
If, like me, you’re addicted to knuckle cracking, you might find this article from Scientific American a good read. Here’s the gist: A kid was told that the habit would lead to problems. Over 50 years, he did an experiment in which he cracked the knuckles on his left hand often. He cracked his right hand rarely. “There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands,” he concluded
In other words, crack away.
Thanks for reading,
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no it doesnt, it stetches your muscles and is a form of massage
oh, thank god. i know a guy who keeps bugging me, saying that my knuckles would “drag to the ground”, they’d be so huge, and i wouldn’t be able to move a bone in my body. so THANK GOD ITS NOT TRUE! I would like to be able to find a boyfriend! haha…
Wow, now I have a story to tell when somebody tells me Im going to get arthritus when I crack my knuckles!
No that person just tells u that cause the cant do it so no.
It will make you grow hair on your palms
I am releived ’cause I usually get traumatized when i’m told that.
Ahh! Thank you so much! I crack my knuckles often, and my family is always on me how it can cause arthritis. Thanks for clearing this up!
Wow I`m glad to here that!! I`ve been a knuckle and toe cracker for a while and I`m finally happy to know that popping my knuckles isn`t bad at all!!
Yes if. Yhu do it constantly
That is not true! My grandmother used to get held down by her brothers and they would crack her knuckles. She is now 55 and has arthritis on her fingers.
THANK YOU!!!!! I crack my knuckles all the time and im a girl so…… my friends who are are girls think it’s gross and are all like, “YOU’RE GONNA GET ARTHRITIS!!!” and im all like, “nuh uhhh! thats not true!” and then my friends are “ya HUUU!!!!” and it just goes in a cycle over and over again. but now i got proof!! thank you!
haha
Remember to crack your knuckles more often.
Thanks for clearing this up for me. I have been curious fo a while about this.
Phew! Everytime I crack my knuckles, since it is a habit of mine, my mom keeps saying that my fingers are going to swell and stay like that forever! Thank God that its not true!!
what about if you crack your back????
Yay
now i can prove my friends mom wrong every time she bugs me about how i’m going to have huge knuckles >< it always scared me into not cracking them for a few days.. but then i couldn't help but start again haha
Regardless of the scientific analysis on the subject, I still think there might be some merit to the idea based on personal experience.
After developing a habit of cracking my knuckles for a few years, I began to notice that my fingers became much stiffer at times. This eased off somewhat after I stopped cracking them, but they still arent quite a good as they used to be.
Yay! but I guess it doesn’t matter for anyways, since I hate cracking my knuckles. It hurts!
thanks for being agreeable mike,
i like it when people tell me what i want to hear….
i dont like it when people tell me what i dont want to hear…stuff like “you’re going to get arthritis” is ignored.
it can if u do it too much i quit when i leaarned tht it can cause joint problems =P hope this helps =D
it also makes ur fingers fatter
yes it can give you that because when you crack your nuckels your are getting rid of bone bubles that help you strech your fingers and move them with out them you couldent move your fingers and that why sometime the finger look crooked
yeah i think it does
My good friend is a physical massage expert and physical therapist and she said that, when you pop your knuckles, that it is creating excess space in your joint and all of the air in that finger rushes to the available spot and make a popping sound as it travels by one. No worries! You are going to be fine!
Thanks! I heard but wasn’t sure if it was true.
But, here’s something scientifically proven, cracking knuckles WILL make your joints more wrinkly.
Kimberlee: If your grandma has RA at only5 5, she is scandinavian and it is Hereditary. Most don’t get it until 70 or so. So craking knucles made No difference. Never seen a Woman do it, anyway.
REF: All females on my grandmas side, all Swedish , got RA starting at 46. Mom badly crioppled by it at 72. James Coburn , of , Norwegian extraction, got it bad in the mid ‘seventies, had to retire early. He was in my Mom’s RA magazine.
its repetitive trauma to your joints. toxins build up in areas weakend due to truama like this. ofcourse its bad for you.
no i do it all the time it doesnt its a sensation
GOOD!! I’m glad. I crack my knuckles all the time. Sometimes its so loud my friends are like THATS YOUR KNUCKLE?? IT HAS TO BE BAD!! I was kinda worried.
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘crack away’.
I think those people are politely asking you to cut it out because it is a pretty sickening habit and really off-putting. As in ‘would you mind doing that outside, it’s gross? I can’t even look away because I’ve already seen it – I still have to listen to you doing it – I thought a party was about people doing mutually enjoyable things together.’
No, they aren’t really saying that they have some secret medical knowledge that you lack. They are asking you to please stop doing that in public.
They probably liked you before you indulged in this, and they wish you wouldn’t do that in front of them. I guess they are being too subtle.
I always thought about this whenever i cracked my knuckles and never knew if it was true or not, thank you!
actually, it makes your knuckles BIGGER!
Well, this is kind of a relief for me. I’ve been cracking my knuckles so to speak for a very long time. I haven’t felt any “arthritis” kicking in. As I kept telling my friends and “mother” lol that it wasn’t going to happen. Now I have some “proof” so to speak on this subject. As for most people here, that keep trying to say that “oh but you can if you do it enough” *sighs* the proof has been proven let it go lol. However, if a person does get “arthritis” its most likely because of serious “use” of one’s hand over and over. I mean come on, go look up the reasons a person gets Arthritis and it will state, that a person is most likely to get arthritis if they use there fingers, hands, etc. Over and over, to the point of over use. It happens. Thanks for this info though would never of thought about it
Thank god, I could never stop cracking my knuckles and now I have something to say to people who disapprove.
It’s too bad it’s not true. It would be something you could tell knuckle-poppers to convince them to STOP that annoying habit.
cracking your knuckles releases synovial fluid into the joints. Your body only as so much of this, if you use it all cracking your knuckles you will have trouble moving them win your older
acctually cracking your knuckles causes nitrogen bubbles in your wrists and if your not carefull that may or may not cause damage
The idea that you get arthritis from cracking your knuckles is just an old wives’ tale. Some people really have a problem with it, because they find the sound unnerving. There was even a pompous justice of the peace in the Phoenix, Arizona, area who found someone in contempt of court for cracking his knuckles. The jerk justice of the peace was reprimanded by the judicial authorities. What he should have done is directed everyone to crack his knuckles. That way, no one would have been able to do it for another 30 minutes, and it would be quiet.
If your only meant to be able to crack your knuckles every half an hour or so, can someone tell me why the knuckles of my hands, most especially the two index fingers, are able to be cracked withing 2 secs of cracking, and is this going to cause a problem because ive been told that constantly cracking joints is first sign of arthritis and am wondering if this true and therefore if i have it in my hands at 16
It does cause artheritis. my dad really hates it and he always telling me not to
Its caused by NITROGEN escapes the tissues between the cartilage, ligaments and/or bones. Similar to a deep sea diver during a rapid ascent, except these tiny bubbles of escaping or released nitrogen into a fixed atmospheric pressure (+-sea level )aren’t large enough to cause harm. A deep sea diver, on the other hand would cause the bubbles to be released too fast resulting in the bubbles getting larger if the ascent were too rapid.
The joints will get much larger.
That’s a fact.
I have huge knuckles.
Care to see them?
It may not be bad for you, but the sound to others around you is irritating. Mind that.
OK, but it’s a pathological habit. And it’s antisocial – a bit like farting or burping in public. People to do it to gain attention or to prove how cool they are. Disgusting.
Man, I want to print this out and shove it in anyone’s face who says that!
Nice to see you put it up! My family and friends are always on me about it sayin it’s not good but to me it does no damage and the only reason I do that is because my knuckles feel sore or my back and neck are stiff. Thanx sooo much! I am a girl so when ever I crack my back or neck or knuckles they are like staring at me weirdly! Is it good to crack your back and neck? Because mine gets really stiff so I have too?
what about like toes, ankles, and neck? more worried bout the ankles really cause i can do that for like 5 min straight before the muscles tire and i have to rest
i crack every thing possible and i am 67 no problems here
THANK YOU! i am soo relived to hear that!
Yosh! I crack fingers, arms and wrists, but for the right wrists I can crack it constantly and do a fucking big noise. PPL who says “arthriris for you in next years” are just jealous
My family tells me that if I keep cracking my back and fingers I’ll get arthritis
It isn’t the knuckles that are cracked at all, it’s the finger joints, which are not knuckles you knuckle heads
ty i needed to hear this i have been cracking my knuckles since 2001 and i’m only 14
NO
OH THANK HEAVEN! I can’t help cracking my knuckles, it sooths me. If I don’t I get agitated. My mum is always telling me to stop, now I can just do it!
“Only one in-depth study one knuckle popping has been reported, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors’ Cooperative, which examined 300 knuckle crackers for signs of joint damage. While no direct connection was made between joint cracking and arthritis, those who habitually cracked their knuckles showed soft tissue damage and loss of grip strength.”
Dude my dad is a bone doctor and he says you won’t so don’t worry.
it does later on in ur life so dont crack ur knuckles.ever !!!!!!!!:)
My boyfriend does this all the time he said since High School he also does his toes he tries to crack my toes I always pull away. Anyways now he’s in his mid 40′s and he’s feeling pain in his finger joints well everywhere else too his back his knees but he has a hard time GRIPPING stuff like his job requires that he grip and he’s always telling me it hurts or i’m having trouble gripping. Okay what you don’t feel now will catch up to you in the next 20 to 30yrs.
TO JESSE: thats probably because your old… As you get older your joints naturally lose the ability to grip things and become stiff if you sleep in cramped or damp places. Its got nothing to do with cracking your knuckles…
Cracking your back is damaging- nomatter how good it feels -and should be avoided. Ask any chyropractor (that was spelled wrong…) and they will tell you cracking your knees, back or neck is bad for you but cracking your knuckles and toes is fine within moderation, kind of like good wine and chocolate!
(They make you feel good, and are good for your immune system and overall stress level as long as you only drink/eat a reasonable portion!)
it makes ur fingers fall offf
Thanks Mike, I am use to, to crack my knuckles once or twice in a day but I don’t feel any problem of arthritis or loose gripping, by the way example of that kid who did it over 50 years as an experiment….we can learn by this only one thing that don’t do an activity very excessively, even excessive mental and physical exercises can be harmful to a human-being… good wishes.
Thank god! I’ve been doing that for years now, ever since I saw my dad do it, a long with my neck. Now I can do it in peace! Aw, just cracked my toes……….
No it doesn’t, all you’re doing is popping the air inside of your joints. That’s why you can’t re-crack for about 10minutes once you did it.
OMG. I think it just varies, on your luck and stuff. I have a friend and she cracks her hands and stuff all the time, and now her knuckles and hands are red and puffed up all the time!
THANK U SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH ive been wondering bout that for a long time
I crack my knuckles constantly, and have never had any joint problems in my hands. I have double-jointed fingers, and it’s painful if I DON’T crack them throughout the day. I heard this old wive’s tale debunked years ago…and happy for it
i been cracking my fingers, feet, ankles and toes for almost 3 or 2 years is that bad? and it only take me 5 minutes to crack them again not 1 2 hours
hmm..that’s funny my neurosurgeon told me that you should pop your knuckles b/c it will give you arthritis when you get older.
hahaha that was meant to be SHOULDN’T pop ur fingers…sorry!
As someone has already said, studies have shown soft tissue damage and loss of grip in subjects who “crack their knuckles”.
It can also cause problems if you already have other joint problems, for example I suffer from joint hypermobility, and while I have not had any problems with my finger joints, the physiotherapist has told me not to crack any joints because it will weaken the soft tissue and with my condition that could be very serious.
At the end of the day, it does nothing for you, and its quite gross and too those people who say they are addicted to it, no you are not and get some self control.
No, it’s just a wives tale. Nothing more.
It isn’t the knuckle-cracker who is harmed by the practice. It’s everybody else within earshot– forced to listen to one of the world’s most annoying sounds. The crackers who make a big display of stretching their fingers and whatnot make it even worse.
Great I always crak my knuckles when noone is looking so they don’t tramatize me
i accually like cracking my knuckles
No, it won’t hurt but it is a sign of your future.
The popping is a symptom of early onset osteoarthritis.
I remember when I was in the 3rd grade and started popping (it drove many nuts – hence was fun!).
As I got older I noticed that certain joints would become sore whenever a storm was coming. Later I found out that my arthritis was acting like a barometer that can detect weather changes, which is also the tool that a meteorologist predicts the weather in real life.
Now at the age of 52, I have it full blown.
It’s not fun but there is one consolation.
When the storm is coming, it still hurts, but when it starts or lets up, my joints will pop and the pain ceases.
No it doesn’t cause arthritis. However, it is not dislocation, which is painful instead of a relief. Some people get bubbles of gas inside their joint capsules in the fliud, and when these coalesce they stretch the joint capsule and cause discomfort. When you maniuplate the joint to break up the bubble temporarily there is a pop heard. Proof: you can’t do it repeatedly, it takes time for the bubble to form again; and you could feel it if you were dislocating the joint, but they stay intact.
IT IS STILL ANNOYING AS HECK… SO STOP
Thank god, I’ll still be able to play guitar when I’m 70.
Howard got it right. Constant cracking of ANY joint causes the ligaments around the joint to stretch, setting you up for long term instability – resulting in arthritis.
Best not to habitually crack anything. Targeted cracking by a good chiropractor, though, is a good thing.
omg it might be true but my pinkies are disformed ever since i started cracking my knuckles
well studies shown that they dont know if it will cause arthritis or i heard this a few months ago in health. me i dont know how to crack knuckles and i was told that when you crack your knuckes your fingers turn fatter. honestly i dont know what will happen when you do it so i suggest dont just in case.
I know it doesn’t cause arthritus, but it’s still gross. Note this sentence: “Popping the joint in and out of its socket.” And also, he mentions “The bones pull apart away a bit and the pressure that surrounds the fluid reduced. Bubbles form and then pop.”
actually when u “pop” ur fingers back whatever ur releasing gases from the bone wich can and does make u have problems with those areas, i would not recommend doing it at all
You know, cracking the knuckles could make you stay awake.
But, cracking the knuckles doesn’t hurt you very much.
yes it could in the long run so practice the good habit of not dong it
It is small air pockets in your knuckles, and it goes side to side as they crack. THAT IS WHY IT FEELS GOOD WHEN YOU DO, THE AIR POCKETS ARE RELEASED. THESE ANSWERS IN HERE ARE DUMB. WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFO. I WILL NEVER STOP CRACKING MY KNUCKLES. EACH TIME I SAY AHHHHHHHH !!!!!
MY KNUCKLES ARE NO BIGGER THAN THEY WERE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER AND I AM 65…….CRACK THOSE BABIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT DOES NOT CAUSE ARTHRITIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE DOC IS WRONG……GEEZ.
Alone no, this wouldn’t cause arthritis, but may I be so bold as to suggest that if there is enough slack in any joint to be able to do this, this could well lead to an arthritic condition later on in life.
HELL NAW! IT IS ONLY DANGEROUS IF YOU INCORRECTLY CRACK THEM IN THE MOUTH OF THE IDIOT WHO SAYS IT DOES.
Sorry Mike but that is only one THEORY. The truth is that no one knows for sure what causes knuckle popping and it is likely caused by different factors. What’s more, any stress on the joint INCLUDING popping can CONTRIBUTE to arthritis later in life.
BTW I am surprised that John Hopkins simply jumped on the leading theory as fact. There is no conclusive evidence to my knowledge.
you cant get arthritis from cracking you knuckles. your popping air bubbles that are between your knuckle joints. its completely harmless
i do not think so
I have found that days that I crack my knuckles often that the joints hurt more. So I did a bit of my own research. What I found was that, just a quick pop doesn’t cause any problems, but when you try and force your joints to pop, that will cause you to develope athritis. Keed in mind, bones are still grinding, so when you force it, there isn’t the fluid nor gas there enough to damper the abbrasion enough to prevent problems.
I decided to test that theory out, and I found that I only had joint pains the days I would try to squeeze out that pop because I could feel it about to pop, or cause I was that bored. If forced to often, I coud feel fractures in the bones involved- it feels very much like shin splits, which are minor, or hair line, fractures.
no buts is bloody annoying
IT DOES! I’m not kidding! My teacher only could crack some fingers as a teen, and now she has atherisis in those fingers!
i think cracking your knuckles does hurt in the long run.its really bothered mine and im 54 now!!!
The best thing to do for your knuckles is to lay your hand out flat on a sturdy counter or workbench and repeatedly strike it with a hammer
ive cracked my knuckles FOREVER and dad says it causes arthrites well i showed him this and he finaly shup up!!!
My dad has been telling me to quit cracking my nuckles for years! He said they would get thick and enflamed. I’m so glad he is proven wrong!
no it doesn,t but take it from me as a kid i did it every day, guess what i made my knuckles very big i can tell by putting a ring over them the knuckle may be a 11 the ring size is a 9 so knuckles get bigger over time when u pop them or crack them try to slow down and stop it was a habit hard to stop but i di but to late in life..
hope that helps
actually yes it does but very slowly the reason is what your really doing when you crack your knuckles together your rubbing bones and tendons together and it produces a popping sound, witch over time rubbs the tendons and bone down giving you arthiritis, tendonitis, and higher risks for bone cancer in your hand.
I thought it made them shorter or well good because i do it ALOT… thx
i can pop my foot does that is that bad
jk
Actually cracking your knuckles has nothing to do with bones/joints. As I learned in science i guess there are air bubbles and you are popping them (thats what makes the sound)
u do not get arthritis from craking ur knukles!!!!
cracking is good habit to release stress
It does my dad creaked his legs too much and he got arthritis so im sure its the same with your knuckles.
It does not cause arthritis but there is a risk of injury in the fingers if you do it too much
Sweet,i get to do it without worry.My mom used to say i could get that.
Yes, it does cause arthritis. Don’t do it!
As a general rule – no – it wont. There has been some evidence to support this – eg. some people have taken to cracking knuckles on one hand, but not the other for many years without any noticeable difference between the two hands and their movements etc. This is presumably due the the re-alognment of the fleshy parts – tendons/ligaments whichever it is I can’t recall, which make the sound, usually with the movement of air within that portion of the body.
Where these same re-alignments happen elsewhere – eg. your neck, spine, knees, ankles, hips etc (as I get cracking!) the principle I would assume is the same, and so no negative consequences to worry about.
However, there is of course the risk that someone trying to crack a joint, may use excessive force and trigger self harm when originally intending only to crack their knuckles or whatever.
the article is true. but every time you crack your knuckles,it rubs away a tiny speck of your joint. its just like a break pad on a car, every time you use your breaks, it wears it out a little. the same way is with cracking your knuckles, or any other part of your body. it rubs it, and eventually it will wear away, causing arthritis, which is when your joint is worn away, and you have bone rubbing on bone, causing extreme pain.
You will get fat fingers to happend to my friend
Safe or not it’s still a gross sound, and I still find it rude when people do it in class and such.
Good to know
I’ve been cracking my knuckles for ages! It’s just a myth!
R u fucking crazy cracking your nuckels give u arthrites my bro crakes his nuckels an now they are all bent and hes getting arthrites!!!!!
Wow my mom always told me that I would get arthritis from that! And I met a guy from church and he said he used to crack his knuckles all the time and got a little arthritis from it so I pretty much stopped. Well now I do it every so often (sometimes you can’t help it, like accidentally cracking any joint on you) so thank goodness I won’t have any problems!
i believe it causes no problem
Any joint that you “pop” or “crack” is a reaction like opening a soda bottle and the gas bubbles escape. Once you “pop” that joint, it takes a while for the chemical reaction to build up so you have to wait a while before you can pop it again. Chiropractors take this reaction all the way to the bank. It doesn’t cause arthritis. Disease, misuse and abuse causes it.
I have been cracking my knuckles constantly for over two years and they actually have started to get bigger, but that’s just probably freaky me.
Oh, thank God!! I crack my knuckles a lot every day and my dad’s always on my case saying that I’m going to get Arthritis. Well, Dad, told ya!!! Yay!!! Now I can crack ‘em all day long!!!
actally my mum is doc and it can cause joint problam when i was littile i would copy my uncle at cracking my knuckles and now i have a joint problam
That actually is not true… The cracking your nuckles part is real but I am able to crack my falangies (finger bones) over and over again within seconds…. I also can crack my shoulder bone in and out of place but nothing ever happens… Same with my neck and back I can crack them over and over again with out pause.
Last year I got the bends scuba diving then flying too soon, but when I got treatment in the hyperberic chamber one thing I noticed was the pressure in the chamber caused my joints to crack really easy. It was like every time I stretched or twisted my back was cracking it was strange. Laying in a tube for 6 hours at least it gave me something to do. Must be something to do with the pressure difference in the joints. Next time I dive below 60 feet ill see if that happens again although with all the moving around it might not in the chamber you just lay on your back and watch tv.
Okay no it doesn’t I wish everyone would stop saying that my aunt is a therapist and my uncle a doctor, my uncle cracks his knuckles all the time hes doen soem research on it and turns out all you do it pop air bubble in your fingers while the rub against each other. And my aunt tells quite a few of her patients to crack their knuckles to relive stress so NO it does not.
It will not cuase arthrtis but will stretch tendons and you will have loose finger joints.
Yes. if you do it too much, when you are older it can cause permanent damage, if you do it too much!
haha, good. i used to crack my knuckles SO MUCH, and my friend kept telling me not to or else i would get arthritis and my fingers would get all puffy.
guess not. (;
Well i thought it did as my son keeps cracking his fingers so when he had a hospital appointment this week i asked the doctor and he said NO it doesn’t hurt at all and doesn’t cause any problems. .
Cracking your knuckles is perfectly safe, try stopping this habbit.
Thank you for the article!!! For some reason, people keep saying I will get arthritis from cracking my knuckles in my school. I have no clue who taught them that so I asked my older brother, he said that its a lie and that arthritis included swelling (not sure about that either). I think a teacher said that cracking your knuckles caused arthritis in my school….. I can finally prove them wrong! and with proof!
because I’m honestly not sure if what they heard had any proof at all.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
While cracking your knuckles may not CAUSE arthritis, it can exacerbate flare-ups if you are pre-arthritic or have already been diagnosed with arthritis. The fluid between the bones if what cushions the bones so they don’t grind on one another. With arthritis, the fluid diminishes. So, without this fluid, if you have arthritis and crack your knuckles, you’re irritating the area where the fluid used to be, thus making it a little more painful each time…
thats nice to know… have a daughter who like cracking her knuckles…
Too much of anything can be bad for you. There are some people that crack away all day and that’s not good for the ligaments and whatnot. Overall, it isn’t a problem, so long as your not a knuckle cracking addict.
I love how people are still commenting that this will cause arthritis. Know what will cause arthritis? Your typing. So stop. (:
yeah it does if your family history has it my mom has arthritis because of poping her knuckles it just depends…
I still find cracking knuckles a bad habit and can’t stand it when people do it around me. It’s such an annoying sound and habit.
But then I guess there are more worst habits out their than this, but still just the sound makes me cringe.
is it bad that i pop my back,neck,fingers and toes?i’ve been doing it since i was little when i first saw my sister do it.now my pinkys are slightly crooked and my fingers ache.my toes,back and neck however still insist on being popped.lol.please tell me a fact and not a theory.please and thank you.
probably
Listen up:
There are 3 types of joints in the human body: those which are too tight, those which are too loose, and those which are just right. When you feel the need to pop a joint, your joint is too tight. When you actually do the popping, you are activating the joint that is too loose. What you end up doing is tightening the joint that is too tight, and you end up loosening the joint that is too loose, causing a feedback loop. It feels good for a bit, but you are causing damage, albeit ever so slightly.
My father once told me that if I cracked my knuckles, I would get short, stubby fingers. That did not happen.
Yes it does cause Arthritis, I did this as a kid every day and now I’m paying for it big time.
omw !!! great news …. its a habit of mine i cant seem to get rid of ;D
Science has proven that cracking your knuckles has no relation to leading to arthritis
No. It doesn’t. Don’t know where I read this but it was a reputable website.
yes it does
Everyone keeps saying to me that u get arthritis and finally it is not true and now I can prove to everyone that see that itis true!
Wow, you people who still say it is bad for you…. Learn how to spell. I find it hilarious that all of the dissenting opinions are poorly written with horrid spelling. Nuckles? Strech? It makes your fingers crooked?
It’s just funny to see that people who ignore scientific evidence also cannot spell easy words. Bet you don’t like dat dare evalooshin and glowbell warmming either.
no it’s just really gross can u answer my Q please!
dummies.. this disease is inherited and provoked by poor diet and inadequate hydration.
and sitting around all day long doing nothing such as y/a and pretending you’re a know it all.
i really think that it does
I am always cracking my knuckles and my mom always says your going to get arthritis! LOL
I KNEW IT!!!
Everyone tells me ill get arthritis when i crack my knuckles, esp since ive been cracking them for the longest time.
this is very interesting thank you for posting this.
I found it unlikely for it to be able to cause arthritis but I was not sure.
Again thank you. You have really cleared this up for me.
Cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis. Understanding what physically occurs when you crack your knuckles will help you realize that the “knuckle cracking causes arthritis” theory is actually just a popular myth.
How the Joint Works
A joint is formed where the ends of two bones come together. The ends of the two bones are covered by articular cartilage. The cartilage is surrounded by what is called the joint capsule. Inside the joint capsule, there is synovial fluid which serves as a lubricant for the joint and also as a source of nutrients for the cells that maintain the joint cartilage.
Synovial fluid contains dissolved gases — oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When you crack your knuckles or when pressure is applied to a joint, the pressure inside the joint capsule expands but the expansion is limited by how much synovial fluid is contained in the joint. Synovial fluid cannot expand unless pressure inside the joint capsule drops and the dissolved gases can escape out of the fluid. The cracking sound comes from the gases rapidly being released from the fluid.
-about.com
Yes. My grandpa has arthritis from when he used to crack his knuckles
no it doesn’t…it releases the carbon or what ever is the gas between your joints causing a noise.. BTW he is just jealous XD
No it doesn’t that’s just an old wives tale that was told back in the day cause like today they find it disgusting. What it does is it stretches out the joints ligament and muscles in the knuckle and the liquid around it (there is very little so that’s why this happens) boils and that is the pop or crack you hear
Well my mom has always told me it will make my knuckles BIGGER and that is what happened to her, so I don’t crack them. I don’t know if this is true but I heard that cracking your neck increases the probability of it snapping in a car accident, so I don’t do that either! Rather be safe than sorry, and it’s a gross habit anyways.
Is this only in your knucles? or does it also go for all the other bone crackings around the body?
I crack my knuckles sometimes and I’m a girl. My fingers are like TOTES PERFECT & FINE!!!!!!!!!!!
no
Actually, it can.
Cracking your knuckles causes them to swell. When your knuckles swell, that causes deterioration, and overtime, deterioration causes Arthritis.
Learn your facts.
But when my mum was younger she keeps cracking her fingers only ’cause she’s board staying at home doing nothing than when she grew up and became a adult and now her fingers from the joints start to be bigger than average!
Did not you see REDUCED GRIP. When crack your knuckles not only does the lubricant pop. But it also… never mind no one wants to hear (or see) this.
My family dont even believe me when i told them that it dont cause arthritis, even when i show them this site, i guess they want to believe what they want, not what is true.
no, its not true cus my grandad did it once everyday for 3years and he never got it sadly he has passed away now R.I.P<3.
Yeah but as you crack your knuckles, you rub and wear away the synovial fluids that keep your knuckles form being able to move smoothly and that is what causes arthritis….
omg im so happy!!!! i am an uncontrollable cracker and my boyfried slaps my hand when i do it and tells me im going to get arthritis… but i feel like i perform better when i do (when it comes down to video games, typing, writing and such other things) if i dont i feel my hands tingling and aching, is that weird? lol
No absolutely not. I have arthritis and it’s definitely not that simple. Next time that guy says: “If you keep doing that you are going to get arthritis”, you say; “yea and if my aunt had a penis she’d be my uncle”.
No does not cause anything. What you’re doing is removing gas that is trapped between the knuckles.
I was right.
No it does not cause arthritis. It does nothing to the joints themselves at all. The “cracking” noise is actually the POP of the air bubble in between the joints (synovial fluid). Actually, the newest advice is that anything that can be done to increase the range of motion and the flexibility of the joints is a good thing. I work in the medical field and there are always little stories going around like this.
Actually, I really do believe that you should consult a specialist with this question because I actually know someone who has been cracking his knuckles for years and now he is suffering with arthritis in his hands badly.
Okay, so people get arthritis from cracking their knuckles apparently. People are going to go deaf from wearing their ear buds for too long or too loud. People are going to get cancer from talking on a cell phone. Your going to lose your eyesight from staring at electronics. Your going to be crippled from not wearing properly supported shoes at all times.
I guess Im just going to be that little old deaf, blind, crippled lady with arthritis and cancer. Good to know.
it does not cause it. it does release nitrogen pockets ( very small amounts ) into the blood stream
how many people cracked their knuckles during/after this….?
well, it runs in some families like mine but it robly doesnt
it can couse it but only if you do it alot
for me crackling knuckles is just one thing I do when I stretch. It provides relief. And no arthritis is good news.
oh, thank god. i know a gal who keeps bugging me, saying that my knuckles would “drag to the ground”, like a Mogalode,they’d be so huge, and i wouldn’t be able to move a bone in my body. so THANK GOD ITS NOT TRUE! I would like to be able to find girlfriend!. haha…
pffft I’ve known there’s no risk for ages… apparently some guy cracked his knuckles everyday for a few decades to find out if doctors/professionals were wrong or not and in the end he never had any problems with his fingers/hands and if I recall right he even won some award for it so this question shouldn’t even be asked.
Everyy single joint in my body clicks, from my toes to the top of my head. To keep your fingers strenghtened, get some hand grips and use them every day. I might get some myself because i like to crack my fingers. Toes and back and wrists :/ lol
If you think you can pop your knuckles say 20 times in an entire day & multiply that per week is 140, per month is 560, per year is 6,720. Point is there are very real harsh effects to popping knuckles over a long period of times as in several years or longer.
First hand experience in the subject. Tell me I’m wrong, then look at my hands/knuckles.
Cracking Knuckles can be a sign of more serious nervous disorder. I crack my knuckles almost every time. I’m not aware of being depressed. I don’t even know how being depressed work.
There was a guy that cracked his left knuckles for 5 years and never cracked his right. Nothing different. Its an old wives tale.
so its not dangerous. but it is really annoying. and stupid >:(
ME!!!!
My mum’s a nurse and she said u can get arthritis in ur knuckles if u crack ur knuckles like if u crack ur fingers too much! So eventually, u will get joint problems, yes.
For the last time…cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis.
Cancer definitely, not arthritis.
Crack away?
Yes and apparently spitting, farting and picking your nose won’t do you any harm either. So go ahead and do all those disgusting, annoying habits in public while you’re at it.
No it doesn’t cuase athritius
PHEW!
thanks man. I play guitar and I like to crack my knuckles, and when I heard your could get arthritis, i got scared. This helped.
yes be careful
It was a relief to read this article. I am an avid knuckle-cracker and I have been worried about it causing arthritis for some time now! I also work with senior citizens every day, helping them cover the out of pocket gaps brought on by government Medicare. Many of my clients have arthritis and it is so heartbreaking to see when it gets so severe!
I’ve tried many times to stop popping my fingers but it is just not going to happen. So like I said before, it is a HUGE relief to see that it won’t hurt me in the long run! Thanks again for sharing, I will most definitely be passing this information along.
Cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis. Understanding what physically occurs when you crack your knuckles will help you realize that the “knuckle cracking causes arthritis” theory is actually just a popular myth.For more info visit- careplusindia.com
I have the (unfortunate?) ability to crack nearly all joints in my body– and not always voluntarily… My neck, jack, shoulder blades Upper AND lower back, ribs, shoulders, wrist, fingers, hips, thigh bones, knees, ankles and toes crack.
Not always pleasant when it happens, but it helps loosen the body up =D =S
It doesn’t cause arthritis. That doesn’t mean it’s perfectly safe. Cracking joints often involves hyper-extension of the joints. Repeated hyper-extension can lead to tendonitis, with symptoms including joint pain and *gasp* weakness of grip!
Please don’t tell people there are no risks, when there are. If you can crack a joint without hyper-extending, then crack away, but avoid hyper-extension.