Is cracking your knuckles bad for your joints? Will it give you arthritus later in life?

Question

Is cracking your knuckles a bad habit. Should i stop?

Answer 1

I wish I could tell you that cracking your knuckles is bad for your joints, but it's not. It is an annoying habit, and can sometimes be disruptive to those around you, but it is harmless.

Knuckling cracking is a habit that is hard to stop once you start. Every joint has joint fluid that serves as a cushion between the two bones - so they don't rub against each other. When you "crack" your knuckles, you are releasing the fluid so it moves from one part of the joint to the other. The sound is caused by the high pressure rushing of the joint fluid.

Annoying? Yes! Harmful? No!

Answer 2

It does nothing to you physically, especially long term. It's just the movement of air pockets within the joint.

You probably should stop, but only because it bothers other people.