What are the effects of cracking your knuckles? Is it bad or is that just an old wives tale?

Answer 1

That's an o'le wives tale. Cracking your knuckles does no harm. The bones are reacting to the pressure that will lead to the popping sound.

Answer 2

You dont get arthritis from cracking knuckles. You are just releasing pockets of air trapped between your joints. I know people who never cracked knuckles and have bad arthritis. I just think it depends on how much use you got out of your hands your whole life, or if you break or shatter your bones.

Answer 3

I believe it is a wives tale. Supposedly you get arthritis from cracking them but that is not true. All cracking does is remove the air trapped between your joints.

Answer 4

I used to tell my daughter to stop, but she never did, now at 27 she has these huge knuckles and if she can fit a ring over the knuckle, it just floats around on her finger because the knuckle is so big.

Answer 5

Well it seems its just an old wives tale they use to tell us that it would cause arthritus but no, they now say it is good for the joints helps to lubricate them (this part I'm not so sure of)

Answer 6

Old Wive's Tale! OWT!

Answer 7

some people can get arthritis but then some cant it just deppends and the wives tale yah pretty much!

Answer 8

I do it all the time and have no problem. it releases tension between the joints

Answer 9

it won't do anything...its just carbon dioxide being released from the joints

Answer 10

i dunno, i cracked mine for years and sometimes they'd ache and they did get a little bigger. so i quit popping my knuckles and they don't ache as much and they haven't gotten any bigger.