have you ever seen those old people with really thick buldges at the joints of their fingers? i was wondering if cracking your knuckles can do that to you
2006-10-28 20:12:49 · 16 answers · asked by DanV 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
OKAY SERIOUSLY!! NOT EVERYONE GETS THROUGH YAHOO ANSWERS THROUGH THE YAHOO HOMEPAGE!!!
no, cracking knuckles doesnt do it.
2006-10-28 20:22:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Swollen Knuckle Joint
2016-11-13 10:01:28 · answer #2 · answered by wexler 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Swollen Finger Knuckles
2016-12-31 04:10:02 · answer #3 · answered by akana 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lol... The thick and swollen joints is caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body tissues are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to "seek and destroy" invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with autoimmune diseases have antibodies in their blood that target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease.
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.
I don't understand why people keep replaying when the answere is right here... lol... learn to read people...
I'm not a Doctor... I'm just a Corpsman...
2006-10-28 20:14:40 · answer #4 · answered by Whispers of the Winds 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
The pop sound i believed is caused by air in between the joints. My granny says its unhealthy for your bones will not function in a proper way. Try putting a tape across your finger joints, and bend it. That is how a person feel being old, cracking knuckles according to my granny will make it worse.
2016-03-17 05:55:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How strange is it that you just asked this question because the answer is on my yahoo news homepage and here it is: "We are not entirely sure what causes that noise, but most of us believe that the sound is elicited from small gas bubbles popping or bursting when under pressure. While it may be annoying to those around us, and of great concern to many parents, most orthopedic surgeons believe that there is no harm in cracking your knuckles. I believe that an occasional knuckle crack is fine and can be combined with some simple stretches. I do not however suggest that you do this all day long especially if you are already hypermobile or loose jointed." The link to the full article is below.
2006-10-28 20:18:22 · answer #6 · answered by girlinlove 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Get Joint Pain Relief Codes!
2016-07-24 22:07:09 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It's a myth.
I've been cracking every joint in my body since I was a child. Everyone tells me to stop or I'll get arthritis when I'm old. Not true-- I actually read it in a medical textbook. It was years ago, though, so I can't cite the source.
2006-10-28 20:15:50 · answer #8 · answered by catwomanmeeeeow 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Actually I just read an article on the Yahoo homepage about 5 mins ago that said that cracking your knuckles isn't harmful.
2006-10-28 20:20:40 · answer #9 · answered by NikC 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i have never cracked my knuckles on a regular basis and i had a girlfriend that started cracking them for me habitually a couple of times a day and my joints started aching after awhile and i made her stop ... i dont think its good for ya tell ya the truth ...
2006-10-28 20:17:59 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, there is no evidence of this. It is believed that trapped air bubbles are released when one cracks their knuckles, causing the cracking sound.
2006-10-28 20:15:12 · answer #11 · answered by what_do_i_know? 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋