Does "cracking your fingers" really give you arthritis at an older age?

Answer 1

No it does not. As a chiropractor, we adjust peoples joints. We do this to relieve any pain, stiffness, or pressure people feel. The "cracking" sound is called a cavitation. It is the sound of gases (from cellular metabolism) trapped in the fluid in your joints being released. It is not your bones breaking. I would NOT recommend doing this just for the fun of it. And DO NOT force your fingers/knuckles to pop or crack.

Answer 2

The physical mechanism is unknown, but possibilities that have been suggested include:

cavitation within the joint – small cavities of partial vacuum form in the fluid then rapidly collapse, producing a sharp sound (hypothesis in a medical journal)

the sudden stretching of ligaments (hypothesis by one reader of that journal)

release of gas from the joints being adjusted (this applies to the popping that can occur in any joint such as during chiropractic manipulation)

A single event is not enough to cause damage to the joint, although it is possible that prolonged joint stress due to cracking knuckles may eventually lead to a higher risk of joint damage. The long-term consequences of this practice have not been studied thoroughly, and the scientific evidence is inconclusive. However, the common parental advice "Cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis" may be simply a device to deter children from this practice, which many people find annoying because of the sound it makes. In fact, a study by Castellanos and Axelrod found that arthritis was not a product of knuckle cracking. They evaluated 300 consecutive outpatients at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital to determine whether habitual knuckle cracking is a risk factor for hand dysfunction. They found no relation with osteoarthritis, but noted that 'knuckle crackers were more likely to have hand swelling and lower grip strength.'

Answer 3

Imagine for a moment your arthritis completely vanishing right now.

If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Like a magic wand was waived, you'd be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.

And imagine that you'd never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.

I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.

It was a gift from a woman on the other side of the world. From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.

Today, I want to do the same for you!

Answer 4

I am very ambivalent about that.....but can unequivocally tell you that old age still looks better to me than a cemetery. The day may very well come that I no longer feel that way, and I hope I am in the cemetery the day before I do start to feel that way as the thing that frightens me the most about the parts of the road ahead that I cannot see ....is some long, lingering dreadful sort of death that will be hard for me to go through...and harder on my children to watch. But, as the woman in Out of Africa said....the reason that God made the world round was so that we could not see too far ahead of us. Right now, the road I am on is mostly sunny, though I have to say, not as smoothly paved and obstacle-free as the road I have travelled to get here.... but, despite lions and tigers and bears OH MY.....I keep on my road and hope it is leading to a comfortable, pain free state of oblivion as I near death. I have known several old people who died, very simply, of OLD. They lived to be very, very old...and as they reached 100 or more, they just got more & more oblivious, peaceful, comfortable. One morning they just don't wake up....and everyone in their families is pretty much prepared for it.

Answer 5

This is purely a myth. There is no evidence that cracking one's knuckles can cause arthritis directly. However, repeated injury of a joint or repeatedly causing it to swell can injure the cartilage and potentially lead to degenerative joint disease.

Answer 6

I don't have anything to base this on, BUT I've heard that this is just an old wives tale (but I'm not an old wife). Along with the whole "makes your knuckles bigger" story.

Also I have heard that like all joints, your knuckles can "wear out" after awhile and cracking them does accelerate that process.

Answer 7

No, its just air that gets in there or something, an old teacher of mine had been doing it all her life, her knuckles dont ache at all no signs of arthritis, and she has petite hands

Answer 8

I used to do this in my teens and my mom was always telling me, you'll get arthritis in your hands. I don't know if I have it yet but when the weather turns cold, my knuckles do ache.

Answer 9

no u don't get arthritis when u crack your finger

Answer 10

someone asked the same question recently.. no it doesnt.. your just removing either oxygen or liquid nitrogen(?) from your joints or something