Cracking your knuckles

[SkoolHater]

I pop my knuckles,back,ankle,toes,all that stuff.I usually don't mean to do someof them,when I wake up I just lean back really far and POP lol xD.

[Beautiful Brunette]

I can crack my ankles too.

[Gorgeous]

Ok, it does not lead to arthritis. It's not your bone cracking-it's a bubble popping in the fluid found in your joints. The fluid is thick like honey, which is why the sound is so loud. Cracking knuckles may be annoying to listen to, but there's no evidence that it'll cause any health problems. And that is a fact.

[Legendary Black Cat]

Originally Posted by Peaches Poodleton

Ok, it does not lead to arthritis. It's not your bone cracking-it's a bubble popping in the fluid found in your joints. The fluid is thick like honey, which is why the sound is so loud. Cracking knuckles may be annoying to listen to, but there's no evidence that it'll cause any health problems. And that is a fact.

How do you figure? Take ten people that crack their knuckles. Watch them their whole life. Take ten that do not crack their knuckles, and watch them their whole life as well. Then tell me out of those twenty, how many of them cracked their knuckles and got arthritus. Repeat this same experiment as many times as you wish, I can almost guarantee you, the results will be the same.
LBC

[Gorgeous]

Originally Posted by Legendary Black Cat

How do you figure? Take ten people that crack their knuckles. Watch them their whole life. Take ten that do not crack their knuckles, and watch them their whole life as well. Then tell me out of those twenty, how many of them cracked their knuckles and got arthritus. Repeat this same experiment as many times as you wish, I can almost guarantee you, the results will be the same.
LBC

Wow, it sure is hard to tell you something without you telling me something different. *Sigh* My Mother, Grandmother, and other adults I am around have cracked their knuckles their whole life, and they have not had any trouble at all. Look, if you don't beleive me, ask your doctor. I have tried to tell you that you can not get it from cracking your knuckles. I have better things to do than to have somebody tell me I am wrong, when I have proof, and facts that you can not get arthritis from cracking your knuckles. Guaranteed

[Beautiful Brunette]

oh yeah, I can even crack my shoulders.
900th post!

[TrixTwinklemuffin]

I only crack my knuckles sometimes..

But one time my little cousin was complaining his back hurt, so my older cousin picked him up and cracked his back and for the rest of day, my little cousin started moaning all day because of the cracking of his back. XD

[Legendary Black Cat]

Originally Posted by Peaches Poodleton

Wow, it sure is hard to tell you something without you telling me something different. *Sigh* My Mother, Grandmother, and other adults I am around have cracked their knuckles their whole life, and they have not had any trouble at all. Look, if you don't beleive me, ask your doctor. I have tried to tell you that you can not get it from cracking your knuckles. I have better things to do than to have somebody tell me I am wrong, when I have proof, and facts that you can not get arthritis from cracking your knuckles. Guaranteed

Proof? ROFL, Where is the proof? I would sure like to see it. I'm not trying to tell anyone off, I am just telling you I think differently. Yeah, nice work asking ONE doctor. You can't just ask one, and expect it to be the right answer. You're too trustworthy if you do that.. I don't care what other doctors say, I believe that cracking your knuckles helps you get arthritus. Cool, if you have better things to do then do them. I wasn't trying to say "You're wrong", I was saying I do not believe that is the case, and being serious as to try that experiment. In my opinion the experiment would most likely come out the way I had said. There is NO guarantee, and you do not have -proof-. No one has -proof-, so before you say that, think about it please.
LBC

[Panicatthedisco]

It doesn't, that's my opinion. There's proof for you. :-)

[Bongo M. Monkey]

There is no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis, it's nothing but an old wives' tale. I've known this for a long time but just for giggles, I did a web search.

Here's a neat little bit of info I found on howstuffworks.com:

If you've ever laced your fingers together, turned your palms away from you and bent your fingers back, you know what knuckle popping sounds like. Joints produce that CRACK when bubbles burst in the fluid surrounding the joint.
Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you are causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.

It takes about 25-30 minutes for the gas to redissolve into the joint fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles will not crack. Once the gas is redissolved, cavitation is once again possible, and you can start popping your knuckles again.

As for the harms associated with this habit, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors' Cooperative, only one in-depth study regarding the possible detriments of knuckle popping has been published. This study, done by Raymond Brodeur and published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, examined 300 knuckle crackers for evidence of joint damage. The results revealed no apparent connection between joint cracking and arthritis; however, habitual knuckle poppers did show signs of other types of damage, including soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. This damage is most likely a result of the rapid, repeated stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joint. A professional baseball pitcher experiences similar, although obviously heightened, effects in the various joints of his pitching arm. But assuming you haven't signed a multimillion dollar contract to constantly pop your knuckles, it hardly seems worth the possible risk to your joints.

On the positive side, there is evidence of increased mobility in joints right after popping. When joints are manipulated, the Golgi tendon organs (a set of nerve endings involved in humans' motion sense) are stimulated and the muscles surrounding the joint are relaxed. This is part of the reason why people can feel "loose" and invigorated after leaving the chiropractor's office, where cavitation is induced as part of the treatment. Backs, knees, elbows and all other movable joints are subject to the same kind manipulation as knuckles are.

[starburst127]

i can crack my toes and knuckles my mom always says to quit but its addicting lol xP but it dont do it HARD

[Fluffy McSwirl]

Omg i will never crack my neck again, one day i strained my neck muscles while doing that and for the next two days my head was leaning against my shoulders because it would hurt to straightent it towards the middles.

[Gorgeous]

Originally Posted by Bongo M. Monkey

There is no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis, it's nothing but an old wives' tale. I've known this for a long time but just for giggles, I did a web search.

Here's a neat little bit of info I found on howstuffworks.com:

If you've ever laced your fingers together, turned your palms away from you and bent your fingers back, you know what knuckle popping sounds like. Joints produce that CRACK when bubbles burst in the fluid surrounding the joint.
Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you are causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.

It takes about 25-30 minutes for the gas to redissolve into the joint fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles will not crack. Once the gas is redissolved, cavitation is once again possible, and you can start popping your knuckles again.

As for the harms associated with this habit, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors' Cooperative, only one in-depth study regarding the possible detriments of knuckle popping has been published. This study, done by Raymond Brodeur and published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, examined 300 knuckle crackers for evidence of joint damage. The results revealed no apparent connection between joint cracking and arthritis; however, habitual knuckle poppers did show signs of other types of damage, including soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. This damage is most likely a result of the rapid, repeated stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joint. A professional baseball pitcher experiences similar, although obviously heightened, effects in the various joints of his pitching arm. But assuming you haven't signed a multimillion dollar contract to constantly pop your knuckles, it hardly seems worth the possible risk to your joints.

On the positive side, there is evidence of increased mobility in joints right after popping. When joints are manipulated, the Golgi tendon organs (a set of nerve endings involved in humans' motion sense) are stimulated and the muscles surrounding the joint are relaxed. This is part of the reason why people can feel "loose" and invigorated after leaving the chiropractor's office, where cavitation is induced as part of the treatment. Backs, knees, elbows and all other movable joints are subject to the same kind manipulation as knuckles are.

Oooh duh! I didn't even think of the chiropractors. Cuz if cracking your kuckles and all that would lead to arthitis, why would they do it to you? And, yes LBC, that is proof

[angelgirl0773]

Originally Posted by SkoolHater

I pop my knuckles,back,ankle,toes,all that stuff.I usually don't mean to do someof them,when I wake up I just lean back really far and POP lol xD.

omg, me too! I crack my knuckles, neck, back, toes, knees, everything! i really try to stop but i cant! And Im already starting to get pains in my hands for doing it all the time! Any ideas on how ta stop?

[Coozie]

im just going to say THIS ARGUMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE POLL,ITS ABOUT DO YOU CRACK YOUR KNUCKLES, NOT IS IT GOOD FOR U OR NOT. thank you