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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i think that for people who want to get over the addiction, that everyone has their time. By that i mean that there will be a time where you don't even have to try to stop crakcing. i used to really really really wish that i could stop cracking and got really pissed and everything but now i am starting to just slow the rate of my cracking bit by bit. 
i used to ask my friens how they got over the addiction, but they just said that they stopped cracking and and don't know how.
i guess i know what they mean now.
Posted by Susan is cool in Sydney is cool on Fri Jul 27, 2007 at 08:53 PM
i used to ask my friens how they got over the addiction, but they just said that they stopped cracking and and don't know how.
i guess i know what they mean now.
hey i crack them all the timme and i am so relived that i am safe!!
Posted by Sarah in Somewhere over the rainbow... on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 07:30 AM
I have heard somewhere that people who do a lot of typing everyday can develop arthritis. I was reading these articles and am thinking that perhaps knuckle popping can prevent arthritis for those who type a lot? Well in any case, it sure does feel good popping my knuckles. Life is just too short not to experience the good feeling of popping your knuckles.
Posted by Spiderman-freak in LA on Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 01:31 PM
you knuckle crackers make me want to cut your fucking hands off. Especially when you're on here bragging about it like its so cute. I think I'd feel very good to put my foot up the ass of at least a couple of knuckle crackers every fucking day.
Posted by motherfucker on Fri Sep 04, 2009 at 07:29 AM
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