Knuckle Cracking
I'm not a knuckle cracker myself. In fact, I hate it when people crack their knuckles. And I've frequently told people that cracking their knuckles would cause arthritis. After all, that's what everyone says. But according to this NY Times article (republished in the Arizona Republic) it's not true. It's an urban legend. Just reading this description of what causes knuckles to crack makes me cringe:
The loud pop of a cracked knuckle is caused by synovial fluid, the thick lubricant that surrounds every joint. When the fingers are stretched or bent backward, the bones of the joint pull apart. This creates bubbles of air in the fluid, which subsequently burst.
But as for the evidence that knuckle cracking doesn't cause arthritis, the article cites a 1990 study:
The largest study to explore a link to arthritis was published in 1990 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. It looked at 300 healthy people older than 45, 74 of them habitual knuckle crackers. The rates of arthritis of the hand were similar in both groups, though the knuckle crackers, on average, had reduced grip strength.
Still, I think I might keep telling people who are cracking their knuckles that it's going to give them arthritis, just to annoy them and maybe scare them into stopping.
Posted By: Alex | Date: Tue Feb 01, 2005 | Permalink |
Total Comments: 64
Category: Body Manipulation, Health/Medicine, Urban Legends
Category: Body Manipulation, Health/Medicine, Urban Legends
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Someone told me a few years ago that it doesn't cause arthritis any more than not cracking your knuckles...and I think I have cracked my own every now & again...but I tell my sister it will make her knuckles big. She's one of those incessant crackers. One after another all the time.
Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 06:41 AM
Bubbles of air in a liquid can't burst (the only time I've seen that happen is in animated cartoons). Think about it. Whoever wrote that they did shouldn't be writing on a subject he is so clearly ignorant of.
The bubbles can disappear because the gas dissolves in the liquid; but there won't be a pop.
Posted by Lord Lucan on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 08:23 AM
The bubbles can disappear because the gas dissolves in the liquid; but there won't be a pop.
It's a pop because the air is being pushed out of a tiny space. Think bubble wrap.
Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 09:40 AM
about 20 y. ago I saw X-ray picture in some popular magazine where scientist captured these bubbles.
The nature of this bubbles similar to bubbles in soda or mineral water, by bending you create low pressure and liquid start to "boil".
Posted by Loxx on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 12:42 PM
The nature of this bubbles similar to bubbles in soda or mineral water, by bending you create low pressure and liquid start to "boil".
Sorry, but if I don't crack my knuckles occasionally, they begin to ache. It's not an intense pain, but it's a noticeable level of discomfort. Cracking instantly relieves it.
Also goes for my spine; I have to crack them over a chair back every so often or it starts to ache.
Posted by Barghest on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 09:36 PM
Also goes for my spine; I have to crack them over a chair back every so often or it starts to ache.
I'm with Barghest, even though it is annoying when people do it a lot. (Pause to crack. Eeep.)
My back, however, I have to get help with.
Posted by James D on Thu Feb 03, 2005 at 07:20 PM
My back, however, I have to get help with.
Lord Lucan's stupidity is amazing.
Posted by T on Fri Feb 04, 2005 at 05:38 AM
Anyway, as to the ache in the knuckles if they don't get cracked: I have the same problem, but what I found out when I tried exceptionally hard to stop was that the ache only lasted a few weeks-then went away completely! I don't crack my knuckles near as much as I used to and mostly only on accident, now. (as in when they crack themselves)
T...sticks and stones...be nice.
Posted by thephrog on Fri Feb 04, 2005 at 06:56 AM
T...sticks and stones...be nice.
Grip Strength: A study showed that knuckle poppers have reduced grip strength. However, that is not a CAUSAL relationship. Some people can't pop their kunckles. It could be that something that makes your knuckles pop also reduces your grip strength.
I pop over 50 seperate joints in my body, including knees and hips.
Posted by Rich on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 11:20 AM
I pop over 50 seperate joints in my body, including knees and hips.
Rich... wow, that's impressive. I can pop neck, back, fingers, toes, ankles, elbows, and wrists. And I also find that I start to ache if I don't crack my joints. My best friend constantly tells me that she'll laugh at me when I'm 80 and swollen like a balloon from arthritus, it'll be a relief to be able to tell her that knuckle-cracking doesn't cause arthritis.
Posted by Dyrim on Thu Mar 24, 2005 at 01:14 AM
Greetings,
I have been getting pain in my left index finger at the knuckle, and found that I actually NEED to crack it several times a day to keep it from hurting. Cracking it actually relieves it...what could cause such a thing?
barbara
Posted by Barbara in Ventura California on Fri May 06, 2005 at 11:39 PM
I have been getting pain in my left index finger at the knuckle, and found that I actually NEED to crack it several times a day to keep it from hurting. Cracking it actually relieves it...what could cause such a thing?
barbara
i crack my fingers all the time, and sumtimes i really push on them to make em crack, and have started getting pains in my hand, and less flexibilty, i would say bugger science, they say a bee cant fly but it does, so i tell u al lto b careful, i will try to stop!!!
Posted by garret in england on Thu May 26, 2005 at 03:26 AM
during the day i crack my hand and when i do it starts to ache very much does it mean that my hands are going to get fatter than other people"s hands?
Posted by booi45 in 5605 san vincente north highlands,ca,95660 on Sat Jun 11, 2005 at 01:26 PM
when i crack my knuckles my fingers start to lose flexibility does that mean that i broke one of my bones?
Posted by boo23 in 5605 san vincente north highlands,ca,95660 on Sat Jun 11, 2005 at 01:32 PM
well i love cracking my bones, neck knees fingers,ankles and especially my back. i love the feeling of having my back cracked and love cracking other peoples backs. (im starting to sound weird now arnt i!) but i think it is true if u stop doing it for a couple of weeks the ache to do it goes away.
Posted by faye in england on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 02:42 AM
Well if you don't like cracking nuckles or any bones, I recommend you not see a chiropractor. Their in the bussiness of of cracking joints in order to reallign them, I think that makes perfect sense and asnwers everyones annoying question on nuckle cracking.
Posted by Random Dude on Fri Jul 08, 2005 at 01:10 AM
I'm a bit of a knuckle cracker - I'm a violinist and need flexibility in my fingers, and I find that they can sometimes be very stiff - cracking them helps that flexibility. So I get reduced grip strength? If you use one of those grip things (the little hand excercise that increases grip strength) this shouldn't be a problem.
Posted by Ben in Perth, WA, Australia on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 06:20 PM
Actually, my cousin pushed me into popping them. Then it turned into a bad habit. My family tells me not to do it, but I ignored them becuase it's hard to stop. I have to pop them often or they ache like crazy. I wouldn't be able to stand a couple of weeks of constant aching. And sometimes I do it on accident. I even pop my toes, one of my shoulders, back, and knees. Mostly my knuckles. IT really bugs people, but I can't help it. And I noticed a lot more people do it now. In all of my classes, not including me, pop their knuckles. It's insane, I can't complain, becuase I am a bad knuckle popper, bad me. I've been doin it for at least 5 years now. It did make my knuckles have a bumpy feeling to them however. And slighty bigger. So if anyone wants to tell me if they've done it longer, I'd like to know how theirs look Thanks.
Posted by Angelica in Arizona on Fri Oct 14, 2005 at 09:22 PM
I have kracked my knuckles since I was 10 and I am now 35. I don't have arthritis nor have they gotten bigger.
Posted by danielle on Fri Nov 04, 2005 at 01:11 PM
i crack the end of my penis sometimes across the back of my sholder it helps a lot with pain relief and dicomfort in my testicles
Posted by greg in new zealand on Sun Nov 06, 2005 at 11:34 PM
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