Cracking your knuckles
 

I've been cracking my knuckles ever since 1992. I started off with just the big knuckles on my hands, and then went on to cracking my toe knuckles, and then on to the smaller knuckles at the tops of my fingers and my toes. Sometimes I'll even crack my back and my neck.

I've always wondered a few things about this:
a) What makes the cracking sound?
and b) Does it really cause arthritis? If so, why?

As for the sound, I've heard two theories:
a) When you add pressure to your joints, little air-pockets pop, causing the sound.
b) When you crack your knuckles, your cartilage snaps across the bones in the sudden movement.

As for the arthritis, I've also heard more than one theory:
a) You only get arthritis when you crack them in a crooked fashion. If you crack them straight without grinding the bones against each other, then there is no risk of arthritis. (I got this explanation from a few osteologists I worked with at a recent burial ground I monitored).
b) When the air pockets burst, your knuckles gradually fill up with liquid over time.
c) The cartilage gets worn down from rubbing against your bones all the time.

With all these theories, I am now more confused than I was before! Anyone know the real facts regarding this issue?

for the sound, it's a), but it's not "air." it's gases that form in the joint. you pop it, it makes the sound, and the gases get reabsorbed into the surrounding tissue.

as for arthritis, no, it doesn't cause it. i broke my thumb a while back and asked my orthopedic surgeon about it, and according to him, no, it doesn't. that doesn't mean that further research won't change that, but so far that claim is unsupported.

Knuckle cracking is indeed a build up gas ( mainly nitrogen) between the joints.

Arthritis i would say would not result from cracking any parts of your body however it could cause other damage. To crack a joint you need to strech it to a point that is not normally at. Always streching it that far could result in over streching ligaments and tendons and that may have some ill effects.

plus it is annoying.

i'm still wondering how i forgot that, too. thanks! :thumbsup:

I'd think that doing that would be benificial. You're stretching the ligaments/tendons, resulting in more flexibility. Maybe not, but the theory is sound.

And it's not too annoying. Only when you're trying to study in a library and a kid right behind you is popping them, one by one. And he cracks his toes. And his back. And his neck. And his elbows.

Speaking of elbows, anyone else crack theirs? I can do it about once a day, and I'll tell you -- this crack has bass to it...

i obsessively compulsively crack my knuckles. if it does cause any long term damage then i'm in some big trouble.

Dear god I can let off a huge crack in my left elbow about once an hour or so. Man does it feel nice :P

Every time I get up from sitting through a film at a movie theater, it feels and sounds like I crack every vertebrae in my spine. I can't help it, I lock up. I used to crack my knuckles when I was younger, but I haven't cracked them manually (one against the other in ages), but if I extend and close my fist, they all crack just as if I was cracking them manually. Is that common? Sort of like Chuckle's elbow, only both hands. I'm double-jointed in every finger, if that makes a difference.

My boyfriend pops his neck. It really freaks me out 'cause it looks like he is about to snap his head off. Are there negatives to popping your neck? If not.. can anyone come up with a creative reason I could tell him not to do it. .just so he will stop?

Yup, but mine are more of a grinding sound.

I pop my neck sometimes, too. It freaks me out when I do it. Just something about hearing/feeling that pop in your neck doesn't sit well.

If you really want him to stop, try laying on the old "arthritis" guilt trip. Chances are he won't fall for arthritis of the neck, but it's worth a shot.

I fire 'em off all the time! Sometimes in a statico blast, almost all at once, and other times one joint at a time. I use it as a warm up to hand stretches because I type all the time. I also can do wrists, back, neck, toes, and sometimes knees too. (I just popped 'em now! :D )

My back sometimes aches when I'm sitting down and it goes away when I crack it. I wonder why that is.

The Real Deal on Cracking Your Kuckles
What's really happening when you "crack" your knuckles is that you are either pushing the joint back into or out of its normal position. Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones which are held together by connecting tissues and ligaments. A thick, clear lubricant (made mostly of carbon dioxide and some nitrogen) called synovial fluid is found between the bones. When you stretch or pull your finger to get that desired popping noise, you are causing the bones to pull apart. Pressure is reduced on the synovial fluid and bubbles form that quickly expand and then burst - which is why you get that noise.

Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis?
Not everybody's joints crack. Some people have a larger separation between the bones and some people can't relax enough to allow the bones to separate. If you can crack and your mom tells you, you're going to get arthritis, she's just yanking your chain. There is no scientific evidence that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. However, it can't be good to repeatedly push a joint beyond its normal physical range. Besides that, it's annoying. Cracking your knuckles can cause a decrease in your grip but unless you're signing any multi-million dollar contracts as a pitcher, it's not worth giving up. But it's still annoying.

bc

Cracking your joints does not give you arthritis.

This is a myth. One that I believed until I married my wife. She's got three degrees is human anatomy, including a Master's Degree in Manipulative Physiotherapy. She says that it doesn't cause degenerative damage to the joints and in some circumstances it's actually good for you. Can't remember the details.

Hoewver, I can't shake the memory of my mother banging me on my ear and saying "Stop that! You'll get arthritis"...

:)

Mr Mephisto

heh, I pop my neck all the time. My mother, father, girlfriend, and brother all refer to it as me "kick starting my brain". I get some nice loud pops too, it freaks other people out because it sounds like my neck is breaking. I can pop my most of my finger joints, knuckles, thumbs, wrists, elbows, neck, back, knees, ankle, and toes.

Ever since I sprained my ankle a few months ago my foot and ankle area crack when I get up in the morning. Either my Mom or someone sure put the fear of arthritis in me cause I won't dare crack my knuckles-- even though as I am reading this thread I have the biggest urge to do it~

Actually, I had a friend once who jacked up her neck doing that. She tried popping it, and all it took was one miscalculation in her positioning and she had to wear a neck brace for a few months.

Yea, I crack my knuckles, neck, various vertebrae, and other joints quite often. I'm sure one of these days i'm going to end up in a neck brace like your friend, or worse, but until then... :D

I pop my knees by pulling back on the kneecap while my legs are bent (at the knee) ... anyone else here do that?

I remember the first time I went to yoga. It was a class of all first timers. During the course of the session it sounded like someone was making popcorn. If you are stretching in a way that is healthy, cracking is nothing to worry about. I stretch my fingers and hands before I play piano. They crack, I can play with ease.

Almost every time I crouch down, my knees and ankles go off. And if that doesn't work, going up on my toes will get my ankles. Don't ask me why...

Anyone else notice that after the first time you crack something you do it all the time and you feel the NEED to crack it because it feels stiff or something? I know with my neck I never used to crack it. Now I do it all the time and it feels sooo good sometimes. I always feel like I gain manuverability as well, like my range of motion is limited until after I crack my neck. Anyone else get that feeling?

Friends and family have asked their chiropractors over the years (there's even one in my step-dad's family) who say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with cracking your joints.

It actually is beneficial, but in a very small way. I don't remember the exact reason, but it's equivalent to stretching your mucles every now and then for no reason whatsoever instead of just before/after exercise, etc.

I can crack my ankles and hips, only person I know who can do that. My brother can crack his elbows, knees, and toes without any outside manipulation.

Now you know another :) Nearly every single morning when I'm out of the shower drying my legs, I'll pop my hips. Feels so good!

If I do it where anyone can hear them pop, I get nasty looks and most people cringe. Feels good to me tho.

I've done my knuckles for a few years.. and my back also. That started iwth a friend helping me to crack it, was the best feeling ever. Now the back of a chair comes in use VERY frequently! I didn't know that it DIDNT cause arthritis though, thats good that that is no longer a 'don't crack ur knuckles' point. the annoyingness still stands...

<i>Originally Posted by Irishsean
I can crack my ankles and hips,</i>

I crack my ankles too! just not the hips.