Knuckle cracking causes arthritis

However, a couple of reports in the medical literature are available associating knuckle cracking with injury of the ligaments surrounding the joint or dislocation of the tendons. A study published in 2011 examined the hand radiographs of 215. Find the truth about questions that pique your curiosity in our series, the short answer. A mayo clinic hand surgeons answer may surprise you. Cracking your knuckles doesnt cause harm, so it shouldnt be painful, cause swelling, or change the shape of the joint. Others make a tight fist or bend their fingers backwards away from the hand, cracking the. Doctor cracked own knuckles for 60 years to quash links. This causes gas bubbles in the joint fluid to collapse or burst. Knuckle cracking doesnt cause arthritis, but some research suggests the habit may not be completely harmless. A study conducted in 1990 showed chronic knuckle cracking may affect hand health. Cracking of joints, also referred to as popping, is a form of joint manipulation that produces a popping or cracking sound, as may occur during knuckle cracking, a deliberate action. There hasnt been a lot of research on the effects of knuckle cracking, but the limited evidence shows it doesnt harm your joints. A doctor even showed this by experimenting on himself.

Research studies comparing knuckle crackers to noncrackers have had mixed results. These are signs that something is wrong, and you should be evaluated by. Where did the myth knuckle cracking causes arthritis. More specifically, knuckle cracking does not cause arthritis.

No, cracking your joints does not cause arthritis, and indeed, research has been done to investigate this question. The cracking occurs for numerous reasons, and it is commonly thought to cause or inflame arthritis between 25 and 54 percent of people are thought to crack their knuckles. Some people crack their knuckles by pulling the tip of each finger one at a time until they hear a crack. The cracking of knuckle cracking seems to be produced by increasing the space between finger joints.

Has anyone tried to scare you by saying cracking your knuckles will cause you to get arthritis when you get older. If a joint gets locked when it pops, knuckle cracking could lead to injuries in. At least one study also found the grip of people who habitually crack their knuckles may weaken over the years. Scientists still cant pinpoint why are joints make a cracking sound but, according to extensive research, theres no proof that knuckle cracking damages the joints one scientist was so keen. Cracking knuckles does not appear to cause or worsen arthritis, but it can soften the grip and lead to soft tissue swelling. The pop of a cracked knuckle is caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid the fluid that helps lubricate joints. Conventional wisdom says cracking knuckles does cause problems, but a researcher who studied the question says no. Thats the conclusion of several studies that compared rates of hand arthritis among habitual knucklecrackers and people who didnt crack their knuckles. If a joint gets locked when it pops, knuckle cracking could lead to injuries in your hand. Chronic knucklecracking may lead to reduced grip strength. The common claim that cracking ones knuckles causes arthritis is not supported by evidence. Multiple studies have indicated that there is no evidence to suggest cracking knuckles causes or worsens arthritis. Here are answers to questions about cracking your knuckles, including why knuckles crack, if knucklecracking causes arthritis or is bad for you, and how to stop cracking your knuckles. While cracking your knuckles is not linked to causing arthritis, there may be a connection to soft tissue injuries.

There is no evidence that cracking knuckles causes any damage such as arthritis in the joints. Joint cracking can result from a negative pressure pulling nitrogen gas temporarily into the joint, such as when knuckles are cracked. You may have heard that knuckle cracking causes arthritis, but theres no evidence to support this claim. Its a bit like blowing up a balloon and then stretching the walls of the balloon outward until it pops. A good example of a study investigating this idea used knuckle cracking as a model. Cracking your knuckles may aggravate the people around you, but it probably wont raise your risk for arthritis. While such joint cracking doesnt lead to arthritis, medical journals do contain reports of people who injured their ligaments while cracking their knuckles. Another study indicated that while knuckle cracking was not associated with arthritis, it was associated with damage to ligaments that surround the joint and dislocation of tendons. Knuckle cracking can cause harm, including arthritis. Even if knuckle cracking doesnt cause arthritis, theres still good reason to let go of the habit.