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Medical Myth: Long-Term Effects of Knuckle Cracking

​​​​​​​Myth: Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis later in life

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​It’s the scourge of every parent. Since time began, children have been irritating their parents by cracking their knuckles. But does habitual knuckle cracking cause any long-term effects - or worse yet - arthritis?

Most people crack their knuckles to make their joints feel loose. This may be especially true for older children and teens who crack the joints in their neck and back.

Stretching or bending your finger to pop the knuckle causes the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule surrounding the joint is stretched. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops low enough so that the bubbles (caused from gases rapidly releasing in the joint fluid) burst, making that annoying popping sound.

Often a feeling of relief is reported after knuckle cracking as the joints tend to feel looser for a short time.

Another reason that knuckle cracking is a popular pastime is the attention it gets.

"Sometimes kids may do this because they like the sound it makes, or because it makes their joints feel better. Some may do it when they are nervous or bored," said Suzanne Wright, M.D., Marshfield Clinic Marshfield Center pediatrician.

"This tends to be a relatively harmless habit, and studies have not found evidence that knuckle crackers are more likely to develop arthritis. However, we do discourage children from doing this. There have been rare reports of acute minor injury when too much force was used to crack the knuckle," Dr. Wright noted.

Only one in-depth study on knuckle popping has been reported, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors’ Cooperative, which examined 300 knuckle crackers for signs of joint damage. While no direct connection was made between joint cracking and arthritis, those who habitually cracked their knuckles showed soft tissue damage and loss of grip strength.​