I'll go to crack my knuckles (like the movie version of some concert pianist!) and only one or so will crack! No, it's not heart disease, but I am curious ;)
2006-07-06 09:24:33 · 3 answers · asked by tagi_65 5 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
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 you get older you may be producing less synovial fluid for a number of reasons not limited to arthritis, thus you find it harder to "crack" your knuckles.
2006-07-06 09:33:38 · answer #1 · answered by GVD 5 · 9⤊ 0⤋
yeah i can crack mine i do it all the time even when i aint thinking about but i dont think theres anything wrong w/ you if you cant crack yours!!!!
2006-07-06 09:33:06 · answer #2 · answered by fluffy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When I was little, I couldn't do it. Now I can't stop. Be happy you can't.
2006-07-06 09:28:05 · answer #3 · answered by dasiavou 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋