For people educated in the medical feild only please: Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis?

Answer 1

No. Popping your knuckles is simply breaking nitrogen bubbles in your cartilage. It has no long term effects. The arthritis thing is an old wives tale because it is considered impolite and unladylike for a woman to pop her knuckles. It also will not cause your knuckles to swell to abnormal size.

Answer 2

I found this at the below link. Hope it helps.

Knuckles (Cracking)
Dear Doctor Column, April 1, 2002

Question:

I have been cracking my knuckles since 1977 and, today, they are very big and ugly. I have friends who have also cracked their knuckles for years, but their knuckles are not as big as mine. My fingers get very cramped and tight if I do not crack them. Do I need surgery?

Answer:

Although mom warned you this would happen, there appears to be no truth to the old wives' tale that cracking knuckles eventually leads to arthritis or enlarged knuckles. This popular misconception arises from the mistaken notion that the popping sound is caused by scraping of cartilage or bone that in some way damages joints.

What is really happening when you "crack" your knuckles is that you are actually pushing the joint either back into or out of its normal position. Joints in the fingers are composed of two bones, the ends of which are covered by cartilage and held together by a strong, fibrous capsule and ligaments. A lubricant found in the space between the bones is called synovial fluid, which contains gas (mostly carbon dioxide and some nitrogen).

When you crack your joints, the bones on either side of the joint space separate reducing pressure on the synovial fluid. This allows the gas to form bubbles that quickly expand and pop, causing the characteristic "popping" sound you hear. The sound is relatively loud because the synovial fluid is thick like molasses.

It takes about 15 to 30 minutes for the bones to return to their original position and another 10 minutes or so for the gas to be reabsorbed into the fluid. This explains why you cannot immediately crack your knuckles again. Fortunately, not everyone can crack their knuckles. Some people's joint bones are too far apart and others cannot relax enough to let the bones that comprise the joint separate. However, approximately 25 percent of Americans are habitual crackers.

Although little research has been done in this area, it is fairly safe to say that repeatedly pushing a joint beyond its normal physical range is not a good thing, and there is evidence that rapid, repeated stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joint can cause soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength.

On the positive side, there is evidence of increased mobility in joints right after popping. When joints are manipulated, the muscles surrounding the joint are relaxed. This also may help explain why some people, including you, report an uncontrollable compulsion to crack their knuckles to relieve cramps and tightness.

If you feel you do not have a full range of motion in your finger joints or they are swollen and painful, it may be something more than the result of knuckle cracking for more than 20 years, such as osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis that involve the finger joints. Make an appointment with your physician to discuss the problem.

Answer 3

Based on an article in a medical journal some time ago, knuckle cracking actually helps prevent arthritis!

Answer 4

The thought these days is that as long as it doesn't hurt, it isn't doing any harm. So, no, just popping your knuckles doesn't cause arthritis.

However, as you grow older, many joints begin to wear out, so much so that they begin to crack (crackle more like), more than pop. This not only could be the beginning of arthritis (better known as degenerative joint disease) but could be hastening its onset.

By the way, masseuses and chiropracters make a living out of popping joints. No arthritis is reported because of their "manipulating" joints.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I recommend you read the Wikipedia article on the subject. This is a surprisingly emotionally charged topic, if only because so many people find knuckle-cracking annoying.

Answer 6

Not according to the studies in the past that have been done, but it may damage the knuckles in other ways..

Answer 7

In my opinion, no, everytime you crack you knuckles, you release fluid between you joints causing a swelling. There has never been proof of osteoarthritis occuring as a result of cracking knuckles but know that even though thoughs no relation, its still possible to cause damage to yourself, in other words, don't put your body through things it doesn't do naturally, duh!!!

Answer 8

cracking your knuckles results in a breakdown of the sonovial fluid surrounding the joint causing them to rub together and eventually deteriorate which then leads to arthritis because the joints then have no cushioning fluid to protect them.

Answer 9

a BIG NO may help. it has absolutely nothing to do with arthritis but there is no controlled study showing that it may lead to other kind of damages like bone erosions etc!

Answer 10

By dislocating your knuckle joints - you will eventually end up with arthritis - I know - it happened to me !!!