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Is knuckle cracking harmful?

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Knuckle cracking is a habit enjoyed by many. Both adults and kids seem to be addicted to this seemingly harmless habit with toddlers trying their best to learn this behavior. Some are just addicted to it while others do it when stressed and the rest do it just because others are doing it. However,  not everyone enjoy knuckle cracking. I know some adults who will never even think of it, let alone trying. They percieve it as irritating and annoying. Some can even warn you that arthritis is on the way but as you are going to see, knuckle cracking can't cause arthritis.

How is the "cracking" sound produced?
  • According to Havard Medical school, the sound is produced when  the space between finger joints is increased. This causes gas bubbles in joint fluid to collapse or burst. It's like the bubbles are being stretched apart when you twist the fingers then they burst as the stretch increases.
  • The sound can't be produced twice because it takes time for the gas bubbles to accumulate again.


Is knuckle cracking harmful?
  • Generally, knuckle cracking is harmless. However, there a few exceptional cases where knuckle cracking has led to tendon injury and mild dislocations due to vigorous cracking.
  • A Californian physician confirmed that it's indeed harmless. In his experiment, he cracked his knuckles for decades on a single hand and checked the finger x-ray every decade. He never developed arthritis and the x-rays were just fine.
  • A study in 1990 found that for 74 people who regularly cracked knuckles, they had lower grip strength and had a higher risk of developing swollen hands.


 Take home point
Knuckle cracking is harmfless but should be done moderately and softly.

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