Cracking your knuckles, popping the joints – whatever you might call it, cracking your fingers isn’t necessarily terrible for your hands or fingers. There are all sorts of myths and common misconceptions about cracking your knuckles, but there is one that stands out from the rest – Cracking your knuckles and fingers can give you arthritis. Our West Vancouver Chiropractor is here to dispel some myths and share some insights.
This scary advice was likely shared with you when you were a child by frustrated parents or teachers annoyed by the constant cracking sounds from the back of the classroom. The truth is, there is no connection whatsoever between cracking your knuckles and arthritis. Cracking your knuckles and fingers is mostly harmless.
What is happening when you “crack your knuckles”?
Although it’s prevalent – some studies suggest that over 50% of people crack their knuckles regularly – there have been very few studies into what actually causes the popping sound.
Some doctors suggest that it is the nitrogen bubbles literally “popping” in the synovial fluid inside your fingers’ joints. Synovial fluid is essentially the lubrication that keeps the joints working as intended, reducing friction when moving the fingers and preserving the cartilage around the joints.
Further studies have been conducted into the temporary cavity that forms when the joint is pulled quickly or distracted. This slight pulling apart of the joint creates a small bubble within the synovial fluid in the joint space. That sound that you hear is the bubble bursting within the synovial fluid in the joint.
A relatively recent study suggests that the sound comes from the collapse of that bubble. Pulling the joint slightly apart creates a negative pressure within the joint space and creates this bubble. This phenomenon is called cavitation. The further reduction in pressure then causes the bubble to “pop” and thus creates that “pop” or “crack” that you hear. This would make the fact you can’t crack your knuckles continuously a lot more understandable. It takes around 20 minutes for the cavity to reform again.
Why do people crack their knuckles?
You’ve likely cracked your knuckles at least once in your life, and many people do it regularly. There are a variety of reasons why people feel compelled to do it.
Stress – just like any other stressful or nervous twitch, such as wringing your hands or twirling your hair, cracking your knuckles is a good distraction, and people may do it without even realizing it. It can provide a sort of stress release without causing you any harm.
The feeling – some people crack their knuckles because of the perceived sense of loosening or increased mobility. While cracking your fingers might provide this temporary sensation, there are no scientific studies that prove that cracking your knuckles actually provides any loosening of the joints or release of tension.
The sound – perhaps the most simple of the lot, people might crack their knuckles just because they like the sound the popping knuckles make.
Developing a habit – what might start out as a once-in-a-while thing might quickly develop into a habit. Because of the temporary sensations – the perceived feeling of release, the sound of the cracking – people will often find themselves repeating the action several times a day. This action of popping your knuckles frequently is when you know you’ve become a habitual knuckle cracker.
Does cracking your knuckles have any side effects?
Our West Vancouver Chiropractor has been asked this question over his many years of practice, and in short, the answer is no. Cracking your knuckles should have no discernible side effects. It shouldn’t cause pain or swelling around the joints, and it shouldn’t change the shape of the joints in your fingers.
Sure, it is possible to pull a finger out of its joint socket or even injure the ligaments, but you’d need to be pulling very hard and very aggressively to come even close to doing this on your own.
If there is any pain in your joints of your fingers, or your start to notice swelling around the joints, this is likely because of an underlying condition. It could be gout or slight pre-existing arthritis, and is worth checking out with a medical professional.
There is one possible detriment to the overly frequent severe knuckle cracking person. This unproven side-effect is the possibility of causing ligament laxity to the joint that you “crack” the most. Like any other joint in your body, the joint is surrounded by a ligamentous capsule and surrounding ligaments. The frequent over-stretching of those ligaments may lead to some instability and weakness of those ligamentous tissues. This innocuous habit could make that joint more susceptible to injury.
How to stop cracking your fingers
Even though cracking your knuckles has no discernible or adverse side effects, it can still be frustrating if you can’t break the habit of popping your knuckles several times a day. Like breaking any habit, it can be a tricky road to freedom.
If you are aware of cracking your knuckles regularly – and maybe irritating those around you – you can focus on other stress-relieving strategies, such as stress balls or deep breathing techniques. Accordingly, our West Vancouver Chiropractor suggests that you substitute knuckle-cracking with stretching out your fingers, wrists, and forearms instead. You end up getting all the benefits of increased flexibility and stress relief without annoying anyone.
So try and stay aware of each time you’re about to crack your knuckles and stretch instead. It might be easier than you think to break the habit and put the knuckle-cracking to rest.
