Cracking your Knuckles or Fingers

[ku]

I have heard that cracking fingers or knuckles does not cause arthritis, but if you crack your fingers/knuckles very often, are there any other adverse health effects?

 

Is there any way someone addicted to finger/knuckle cracking can stop it?

[Bettina]

I have heard that cracking fingers or knuckles does not cause arthritis' date=' but if you crack your fingers/knuckles very often, are there any other adverse health effects?

 

Is there any way someone addicted to finger/knuckle cracking can stop it?[/quote']

 

My dad does and it drives me nuts. He says its only air that I hear and no damage is done.

 

Bettina

[Dak]

i do this, and iv been trying to break the habbit for a while.

 

basically, i always used to crack my knuckles on my right hand, and then on my left hand. for about a year, iv been habbitually cracking the knuckles on my right hand and then remembering that im trying to stop, and so not carrying on to crack the knuckles of my left hand (ie, for the past year i have only been cracking the knuckles of my right hand)

 

now, i cant clench my right hand into a fist without my knuckles cracking, and the knuckles of my right hand ache in cold weather, in exactly the same way that my left wrist and left elbo do (both of which i have broken). my left knuckles are fine.

 

anecdotal i know, but it would seem to suggest that cracking your knukles is bad.

[Hellbender]

I crack my knuckles a lot, plus my neck, back, toes, knees and shoulders always need cracking. I have been cracking my fingers the longest, though and they have very flared joints and are slightly bent, plus they hurt every now and then. I don't know if it truly causes arthritis, but like what Dak said, it certainly seems to.

[Nevermore]

I crack my fingers, neck, back, toes, wrists, ankles, elbows, jaw, knees and hips. I've been trying to stop for years. What sucks is the minute I stop cracking a certain joint, I find another one I can crack.

Ps. Yes I know cracking my jaw can give me TMJ, I'm trying to stop.

[klanger]

I crack my fingers' date=' neck, back, toes, wrists, ankles, elbows, jaw, knees and hips. I've been trying to stop for years. What sucks is the minute I stop cracking a certain joint, I find another one I can crack.

Ps. Yes I know cracking my jaw can give me TMJ, I'm trying to stop.[/quote']

 

I have cracked all of the above too, mainly when I was a teen for the simple pleasure of making the adults around me cringe

 

My jaw clicks automatically when I open my mouth wider for dental visits, or if I am trying to bite a hamburger, just recently though I have noticed that my jaw has started to lock up momentarily, which is a tad uncomfortable, but only happens with things like the hamberger or even biting into chicken legs. I cant stress enough your need to stop doing these things for the fun of it and wish to no end that I had listened to my mother years ago.

 

My spine I was able to crack in about 8 places I now have limited spinal movement, I can still touch my toes but I have limited twist, side stretch, and no backwards stretch what so ever, maybe this is age related I dont know, I am 41 so not of the age that I would normally associate these kinds of problems. I dont have arthritus or (excuse spellings please) rheumatism......yet!

 

If you can stop then I think perhaps it would be wise to stop.

[Flareon]

"Chicken legs?" LOL There's an image.

 

Has anyone considered that maybe cracking doesn't cause weak joints, but that being predisposed to weak joints give you the urge to crack? I've read countless times that cracking knuckles isn't connected to arthritis, but then again, maybe there hasn't been enough research.

[Lance]

I crack my knuckles. Last year I tried to quit and it turned into an even worse habit. I now crack my knuckles by pressing them against my chin or cheekbone. Its really rather strange but I cant help it.

[Dak]

i also do that thing where you push your finger underneath your ear, move your jaw sideways, and theres a loud pop. cant stop that either.

 

why is it so hard to stop? is it purely a habbit, or do you think theres an element of endorphine release when your joints are poped?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Here's a rather long thread about knuckle cracking.

[ecoli]

I've heard that...but I don't believe it. Knucke craking is caused by releasing a small amount a gas from within your knuckles. After a while it goes back in... I don't see how this could cause arthritis.

[husmusen]

I've been cracking my ankles for decades, my cousin also cracks every

joint in his body.

 

Those who are really bothered about it could try eating tuna 3x a week, it

worked for my cousin but not for me.

 

Cheers.

[ecoli]

Those who are really bothered about it could try eating tuna 3x a week' date=' it

worked for my cousin but not for me.

 

Cheers.[/quote']

 

what in God's name would that do??

[husmusen]

I don't pretend to know the rhyme or reason of it.

 

But before he started eating tuna he was a walking cracking machine.

After he started, poof it was gone, and at 3x a week he cannot crack them

for love or money.

 

Eating tuna doesn't do bugger all for me, so the conclusion I draw

is :

1) There is a second cause linked to the tuna consumption.

2) The causes of his knuckles cracking are not the same as mine.

 

Cheers.

[Auburngirl05]

I Knucke craking is caused by releasing a small amount a gas from within your knuckles. After a while it goes back in... I don't see how this could cause arthritis.

 

I have an uncle that's a physical therapist, and I asked him this question once and the gas release was the explanation he gave me.

[Insane]

I used to crack my jaw by contracting certain muscles in my jaw. It was extremely addictive and I couldn't stop for a while!

[snore2walk]

so what are your conclusions, are there really adverse health effects by cracking joints...and yeah, about the gas thingy, it is due to a bubble of nitrogen in the joints, it supposedly reforms there after sometime so you can crack your joints once again....what canb the release of nitrogen from your joints have to do with the overall health benefits??

[Auburngirl05]

Does anyone else find that their joints are easier to 'crack' or do it more frequently when they're cold?

[Nevermore]

Yes, this probably has to do with gas density changes because of tempurature.

[hyebeh]

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99443.htm

according to that site, cracking your knuckles has no affect on your joints.

[aaronmyung]

DONT DO IT.

I developed this habbit while playing guitar. I did it an aweful lot ot my finters and now they are best and stuff. Especially my pinky, which goes off to the side half-way.

Dont know science behind it, but yeah

[Guest sherrycp]

I have good news fellow knuckle cracklers. I tried this 6 days ago and it's working. Put a band-aid snugly around your finger at your knuckle. It keeps you from cracking them. If I feel the urge I pull back on my finger. After 2 days I was already feeling the difference. I have attempted to stop using the band-aid, but don't feel completely confident yet, but I can tell I've broken the habit. Good luck.

[ku]

Yeah I tried doing that. I put a band aid around a finger that I always cracked. The problem was that I always subconsciously pulled the bandaid off while my fingers are fidgeting. Furthermore, I became addicted to the smell of my skin after it's just been bandaged, you know that sweet chemical smell on your moist skin? So not only did I crack my fingers but I also sniffed them like cocaine.

 

Also, you get a lot of stares when you go out in public with bandaids wrapped all over your hands. People ask me if I've been in some sort of blender accident and I'm too embarrassed to tell them that I've got a finger-cracking addiction.

[aaronmyung]

lol ku

mmm I might try that. my fingers are horrible.

Its cool though because I can have my pinky fixed by docs, they reckon they're gonna break it and then let it set again properly or something :|

[Guest Legion]

Hi everyone.

 

Some very interesting posts here. Although I am comforted by the fact that I'm not the only person who has such strange habits, I am still concerned about the harm which they could cause!

 

I'm basically an absolute mess of a person..lol. I crack my fingers all the time; by the time I know I'm doing it it's already too late. I also sometimes crack my back, toes, and so on. I bit my nails almost constantly (the only time I'm not biting is when there's nothing left to bite). I also crack my jaw - this is the most worrying because I often do it for several hours before realising that I'm doing it, and sometimes I don't notice until it aches horribly. I also have several embarassingly obsessive habits relating to silly things like, for example, the position of my computer keyboard (which is ridiculous, I know).

 

This is rather worrying! I consider myself a fairly nice/normal person, but I'm a bit scared that one day I'll become an old man who stands near bins in the street, 'barking' at passers by!

 

What a mess...I think I'll work on the nail habit first. Well I'm being boring now so, see ya!