2007-03-05 11:57:58 · 5 answers · asked by soccer allie <3 3 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
No, there is no evidence that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis.
Cracking your knuckles wears away the cartilage between the joints over a long period of time. This is one of the causes of arthritis. Other causes of arthritis are completely unrelated, like for example, you can inherit it from your parents, or get it because of a disease like Lupus. So, I guess if you might get it anyway, and you might not know if it was your's or your parents fault.
Don't listen to those people that tell you cracking your knuckles will cause you to have arthritis. At this point it's just a speculation, not wild, but certainly not founded on anything but misconceptions. All you're doing is playing with the physiology and chemistry of your body a bit. There are good and bad sides to this. Here's a rather complete site if you want to read more (which keeps me from typing it all out): howstuffworks.
This is an old wife's tale that has been debunked many times.
All cracking your knuckles does is release gas build up between the joints and has nothing to do with arthritis.
It takes 20+ minutes for the gases and fluids to get back into your knuckles to get poped again. and it has been proven that the worst thing that can happen is a slightly stretched ligament which is not harmful at all. it is perfectly fine.
2007-03-05 12:41:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No,it helps losen up stiffness of your knuckles. It can't cause arthritis.
2007-03-05 12:04:30 · answer #2 · answered by sheila l 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no i've been hearing that from adults for years becausethey can't stand my constant cracking of my knuckles, toes, neck, ankle, etc...It can't cause arthritis unless you believe in old wives tales
2007-03-05 12:05:34 · answer #3 · answered by morrisonhotel970 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, because when you crack your knuckles you are rubbing your joints together and making them weak.
2007-03-05 13:08:10 · answer #4 · answered by watermelon 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
NO! it is just the oxygen bubbles that are formed over time, that make the noise.
2007-03-05 12:02:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋