Is it bad to "pop" your knuckles and/or neck?

Answer 1

My physical therapist says yes, because over time, you can hyper-elongate the ligaments that hold the bones in place, making them too slack to hold said bones.

Of course, joints pop on their own. This is in reference to constant, FORCED popping.

Answer 2

The desire to pop the neck or back is caused by tension from a jammed or fixated vertebra, which causes another part of the spine to compensate by moving too much and "popping" a lot. The jammed part should be adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest of the spinal column will balance and stop being so movable and noisy. Cracking or popping your neck gives relief for a while, but soon the urge to pop or crack reappears because the cause of the spinal tension hasn’t been corrected.


cracking your knuckles does nothing to the joints in your hands. the sound that you hear is pockets air in the joint escaping. its really nothing more that a strech of your hands. its the same thing happening when your pop your back. im sure during it a lot or in an extreme fashion will cause something bad. but if your are doing it in a reasonable manner to stretch your hands then its okay

Answer 3

Yes, very. Later on in the years youn will have arthritis in your knuckles and neck. I "pop" too, but I try not to because of that!!