So someone smart out there tell me!!!?

Question

What is happening when you "crack" your knuckles / neck?
Can it hurt you down the line?

Answer 1

yeah it will end up giving arthritis in the long run but i am not sure about the neck because i was wondering the same thing,all i know is that they are both very bad habits To produce the clicking sounds, many people bend their fingers into relatively unusual positions, that their own muscles are unable to achieve, and which are not commonly experienced in everyday use. For example, bending a finger backwards away from the palm (into extension), pulling them away from the hand (distraction), or compressing a finger knuckle toward the palm (into flexion).

When a manipulation is performed, the applied force separates the articular surfaces of a fully encapsulated synovial joint, which in turn creates a reduction in pressure within the joint cavity. In this low pressure environment, some of the gases that are dissolved in the synovial fluid (which are naturally found in all bodily fluids) leave solution creating a bubble or cavity, which rapidly collapses upon itself, resulting in a "clicking" sound. The contents of this gas bubble are thought to be mainly carbon dioxide.[1] The effects of this process will remain for a period of time known as the "refractory period", which can range from a few minutes to some hours while it is slowly reabsorbed back into the synovial fluid. There is some evidence that ligament laxity may be associated with an increased tendency to cavitate.[2]

Cracking within the body may also be caused by a bone being broken.

In many early motion pictures and subsequently parodied in animated cartoons, the gesture of cracking knuckles was associated with a "tough guy" image, especially when accompanied by the implicit or explicit threat of violence.

The physical mechanism is unproven, but possibilities that have been suggested include:

cavitation within the joint – small cavities of partial vacuum form in the fluid then rapidly collapse, producing a sharp sound (this applies to the popping that can occur in any joint such as during chiropractic manipulation)
rapid stretching of ligaments
adhesions being broken, which simply means that as two cartilage surfaces are pressed together, they form adhesions, and when the joints are separated this makes the popping or cracking sound.
The snapping of tendons or scar tissue over a prominence (as in snapping hip syndrome) can also generate a loud snapping or popping sound.[3]

A single event is not enough to cause damage to the joint, although there is a hypothesis that prolonged joint stress due to cracking knuckles may eventually lead to a higher risk of joint damage. The long-term consequences of this practice have not been studied thoroughly, and the scientific evidence is inconclusive. However, the common parental advice "cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis" is not supported by any evidence, but habitual knuckle crackers are more likely to have hand swelling and lower grip strength.[4]

While some people find cracking to be meditative, others find the practice to be disgusting and annoying to listen to.

Another alternative description can be found in the e-book The Missing Owners Manual which describes the process of adhesions forming between cartilage surfaces[citation needed], and how chiropractic releases those adhesions.[5]

Answer 2

There's no evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis. But it may cause temporary soreness of the joint.

Knuckles are the joints that connect your fingers to your hand. These joints are surrounded and lubricated by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you crack your knuckles, you're causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. This causes a gas bubble to form in the joint. The cracking or popping sound you hear is the breaking of the adhesive seal in the joint. It may take awhile for the joint to reseal before you can crack your knuckles again.

Answer 3

It is a myth that cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. The popping sound is just air being released from your joints.
I get a lot of relief out of cracking my neck. It's ok for a chiropractor to crack you back, shoulders and neck.

Answer 4

Within every one of your joints is what's called articular cartilage, which is like bone but lacks calcium and stays malleable like rubber, which allows the joints to move. There is fluid in these articulations called "synovial fluid" that surrounds the cartilage inside the joint. When you apply pressure by bending your knuckles to an extreme degree, the amount of pressure on the synovial fluid changes and can cause some of the dissolved gases to come out of solution as air bubbles and make a popping sound.

Doing this once has no effect. But it is believed that repeated acts of joint popping may cause inflammation and arthritis years later if it is done habitually.

Hope this helps.

Craig

Answer 5

No it's a myth that you get arthritis. All it does is release the pockets of air around your joints (that's why if you crack your knuckles frequently your joints are more loose and also that's why you can't crack your knuckles again right after you've cracked them.... there aren't any pockets of air).

Answer 6

Joint Cracking...Fact & Fiction
"Cracking joints" are an interesting and poorly understood phenomenon. There are many theories as to why joints crack or pop, but the exact cause is simply not known.

Painless cracking of joints is as a rule not harmful. However, common sense generally would suggest that the intentional and repetitive cracking of one's joints not only is potentially socially bothersome but also could be physically troublesome when it produces pain.

Knuckle "cracking" has not been shown to be harmful or beneficial. More specifically, knuckle cracking does not cause arthritis.

Joint "cracking" can result from a negative pressure pulling nitrogen gas temporarily into the joint, such as when knuckles are "cracked." This is not harmful. "Cracking" sounds can also be heard if tendons snap over tissues because of minor adjustments in their gliding paths. This can occur with aging as muscle mass and action change.

If cracking is accompanied by pain, there could be underlying abnormalities of the structures of the joint, such as loose cartilage or injured ligaments. Some patients with arthritis (inflammation of joints, usually painful), bursitis, or tendinitis notice "cracking" sounds, or crepitus, with joint movements, due to the snapping of irregular, swollen tissues.

Answer 7

Releasing a pocket of air from the knuckle area. No I do not believe it can hurt you down the line although some will say it can cause arthritis

Answer 8

What's really happening when you "crack" your knuckles is that you are either pushing the joint back into or out of its normal position. There is no scientific evidence that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. However, it can't be good to repeatedly push a joint beyond its normal physical range.

Answer 9

all you are doing when you "crack your knuckles or neck" or any part of your body for that matter, is releasing tension in ligaments. It will not hurt you or cause any damage over the long term.

Answer 10

You're cracking the joints. It's an old wives tale that you'll make your knuckles bigger too! Don't listen to anyone. It's like a Chiropractor cracking your back.