But Wait There’s More Here’s What You Shouldn’t Crack
Dr. Fackler advises avoiding popping the neck, as it can cause inflammation around the nerves and lead to more serious injuries long-term. “I encourage people not to habitually pop their necks, especially kids.”
So, as it turns out, you can crack your knuckles, limitlessly, without the consequences of arthritis. Just don’t be too caught off guard if your rings fit a little tighter after a knuckle-cracking session. Cracking knuckles can cause temporary swelling or a subtle increase in the size of your hands, but is ultimately harmless. “There are no long-term studies that show knuckle-cracking causes any damage,” Dr. Fackler says. Until then, “When it comes to your fingers, don’t even worry about it.”
Snap, crackle and pop away.
Question: If You Have Arthritis Can Cracking Knuckles / Joints Make It Worse
Answer: No. However theoretically knuckle cracking in patients with weak or damaged joints due to arthritis could potentially lead more easily to ligament injury or acute trauma to the joints.
Arthritis Center
Founded in 1998, the Arthritis Center at Johns Hopkins is dedicated to providing quality education to patients and healthcare providers alike.
This Is Why Your Joints May Be Cracking And Popping
Do you ever stand too quickly and hear a pop from your kneecaps? Or how about when you stretch and your shoulders crack so loud, youre worried your neighbors will hear? Youre not alone. In fact, most people experience it, and it becomes more common as you age. What really is that sound, though?
According to Arthritis Health, joint crepitus is a grinding, creaking or popping that occurs when you move a joint, and although specialists arent exactly sure of the underlying cause, there are a number of possible explanations. Read on for three major reasons why your joints may be cracking, and when the sound should be a cause for concern.
Reason one: nitrogen bubbles When you crack your knuckles, that popping sound may be coming from the compression of nitrogen bubbles in the spaces of the joints. By cracking your knuckles, youre essentially popping air bubbles. This kind of joint crepitus is very common and generally doesnt cause pain.
Reason two: tendons or ligaments snapping Another cause of joint crepitus is when tendons or ligaments snap over the bony structures in your joints that stretching of the tissue is where the sound comes from. Although some people feel pain or discomfort with this kind of cracking, it should only cause worry if the pain becomes debilitating. In that case, the popping might indicate arthritis or another underlying medical condition.
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Does It Cause Arthritis
It’s unlikely that joint cracking is a significant cause of arthritis. Joint cracking is usually painless, and so long as it does not cause pain, most healthcare providers agree that you are unlikely to be doing any harm. There are some conditions that can cause joint cracking that need to be addressed, but these tend to cause symptoms of pain.
If you have joint cracking that causes pain, you should be evaluated by your healthcare provider. Otherwise, you are not likely to be causing any problems, including arthritis, by your joint cracking. When the noise is coming from your joints are associated with pain, there could be sources of the pain including loose cartilage in the joint, swelling, and other problems that may need to be addressed.
Joint Cracking And Grinding: Do Noisy Joints Mean I Have Arthritis
As people get older, they may start to notice that their joints make sounds, which is medically called crepitus. Crepitus occurs as part of normal movement or when you specifically move a joint. While it can occur at any age, it is more common in older patients. Crepitus describes a wide range of joint sounds including:
- Creaking
- Crackling
These sounds can be muffled and sound soft or they can also be loud enough for people to hear. Patients tend to notice these sounds mostly in their knees, though they can also strike in other joints including those in the shoulder, elbow or neck. The sounds are particularly noticeable when you do the following things:
- Bend your knee or elbow
- Go up or down stairs
- Kneel
- Move your shoulder
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Will Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis
The Department of Orthopedics noted there is no evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis. However, repeatedly cracking your knuckles may cause temporary soreness of the joint. Knuckles are the joints between your fingers and your hands. These joints are surrounded and lubricated by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you crack your knuckles, youre 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.
The repetitive motion of cracking your knuckles wears down the joints and their protective cushioning. This means individuals who currently have osteoarthritis, caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the joints, could worsen their symptoms by cracking their knuckles repeatedly. However, cracking your knuckles plays no role in rheumatoid arthritis, which is caused when a persons own immune system attacks their joints.
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Can Popping Your Joints Cause Arthritis
Can you believe all those things Mom used to tell you? What about what she said about cracking your knuckles? Could that really give you arthritis or is it just something she made up to get you to stop making that annoying noise?
There are a lot of medical myths floating around these days thanks to the Internet and wel start with the real truth behind cracking knuckles.
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Question: Are There Any Side Effects To Cracking Knuckles
There is no evidence that cracking knuckles causes any damage such as arthritis in the joints. 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 which improved with conservative treatment. A study found that after many years of cracking habitual knuckle crackers may have reduced grip strength compared with people not cracking their knuckles.
Other Habits Associated With Knuckle Cracking
One research study of 300 people reported that people who cracked their knuckles were more likely to have manual labor jobs and smoke.7
Manual labor can be a risk factor for osteoarthritis. If you have a manual labor job, finding ways to reduce daily stress on your joints may be more important than quitting knuckle cracking to lower your risk of arthritis.
Likewise, quitting smoking or other nicotine use can reduce your risk of serious medical problems, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease .
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Diagnosis: How Does Your Doctor Determine The Cause Of Crepitus
In order to diagnose the cause of crepitus, your doctor will examine the affected region of your body. They will ask you to describe, in detail, your symptoms and any recent activity. They will also ask you how your joint feels when you undergo different movements. You should make sure to describe the pain as clearly as possible and mention whether you have experienced any recent changes in activity. This can help determine whether you have arthritis.
For the diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome, the doctor will be able to diagnose the disease based on an office examination. However, they are likely to order an X-ray or another imaging test to see exactly what is going on inside the joint.
Damaged Tissue Due To Ra
Other joint sounds actually come from damaged tissue that gets caught in a joint.4 My shoulder joints crunch and lock when I attempt to raise them above my head. My left shoulder locks and pops at three different spots. This snapping sound is known as crepitus5 which is Latin for crackling.6 There are multiple forms but articular crepitus, which occurs at the tips of bones, is a common symptom of RA. As the joint is attacked by inflammation, tissues are degenerated resulting in soft tissue destruction and bone damage.
I know that my knees have permanent damage because an MRI confirmed that the articular cartilage was eroded to the point where pieces of the soft tissue were frayed and floating around in the joint. There are places where rough surfaces of the bone are in contact with one another. My doctor said that the loud popping sounds in my knee are likely from a piece of frayed cartilage catching on something during the flexing motion.
This also explains the nearly constant pain that racks my right knee. But Ive lived with this for over six years and perhaps the progressive aspects of the disease have been slowed down by treatments.
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Question: What Causes Arthritis
Answer: There are different kinds of arthritis with the major categories being two: The inflammatory arthritides such as the rheumatoid arthritis and the degenerative arthritis best known as osteoarthritis or wear and tear arthritis. The causes for either are not well known and research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms leading to these diseases. In general a genetic predisposition is highly likely for both. For the inflammatory arthritis an unknown exposure to environmental stimuli is considered possible. For the wear and tear arthritis instead, aging and excessive mechanical stress may play a role in accelerating the damage in the joints as it happens in the knees of genetically predisposed older obese people.
Tendons Snapping Over Joints
Tendons keep muscles attached to bones, while ligaments connect bones to other bones. Ligaments can make popping noises when they tighten while the joint is moving. Tendons can make a popping noise when they move out of place and snap back into position as the joint moves.
People often hear these noises in their knee and ankle joints when they stand up from sitting or while walking up or down the stairs.
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If You Crack Your Knuckles Dont Worry Too Much About Getting Arthritis But The Habit Isnt Harmless
Ignoring generations of parents whove warned that knuckle cracking is bad for you, between 20 and 54 percent of Americans continue to engage in this annoying nervous habit. Many have been reassured by repeated clinical reports over the decades that there is no strong evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis. A 2018 Harvard Medical School blog went so far as to pronounce the practice harmless.
Harmless is overstating it, however, argue experts who have studied the fine print of the research. Even as theres no strong link to arthritis specifically osteoarthritis, the degeneration of the cartilage cushioning the ends of bones cracking knuckles, they conclude, may still harm your hands.
Seattle neurosurgeon Rod Oskouian is the most recent researcher to jump into this small but lively tributary of mainstream science, as co-author of a 2018 review of knuckle-cracking studies in the journal Clinical Anatomy.
Oskouian and his three colleagues pored over 26 sometimes-contradictory papers regarding the mechanisms and effects of knuckle cracking, beginning with a 1911 German treatise titled On the Dispute About Joint Pressure. He did so, he said, after becoming fascinated by the universal inability of his students through the years to explain what makes that cracking noise.
But that still doesnt give knuckle-crackers a pass especially not if they do it a lot and for a long time, or have a preexisting problem.
Why Do My Joints Make Sounds
Joints are normally lubricated with fluids and contain cartilage allowing for smooth movement.1There are many reasons for joints to make noises. Some are serious and some are completely harmless.
Sometimes soft tissues like tendons and ligaments glide across bones. This is common in the neck.2 My neck, both before and after vertebral fusion surgery, cracks and crunches every time it moves. My physical therapist said that many peoples necks make these innocuous sounds.
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Expert Q& a: What Causes Noisy Joints
What causes joints to make snapping and popping noises, known as crepitus?
Question: I am a 20-year-old in okay shape and health, but the joints in my upper and lower back and shoulders are always stiff and snap all the time. Are noisy joints the sign of some problem?
A: Snapping and popping of joints is common. The sound you hear is caused by air bubbles in the synovial fluid the liquid that surrounds and lubricates your joints and by the snapping of tightly stretched ligaments as they slide off one bony surface onto another. This sound is sometimes called crepitus especially when you hear it in your knees going up and down stairs.
When not accompanied by pain, noisy joints are harmless. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t recommend forcing joints to snap or pop. When joint cracking is accompanied by pain or swelling, it generally indicates some mechanical problem or disease activity within or around the joint, such as torn or frayed cartilage. If your noisy joints are accompanied by other symptoms, see a doctor.
Department of Rheumatic and Immunological Diseases
Cleveland Clinic
Why Do My Joints Crack During Exercise
Athletes can hear joint cracking when they participate in strenuous activities such as running and plyometricsthe sound results from tight muscles that are causing friction against bones. If athletes stretch appropriately before exercise, it can help to relax the muscles. In doing so, you can decrease the number cracking sounds, as well as decrease the risk of injury.
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Why Do People Crack Their Knuckles
The reasons vary for cracking knuckles. Some people say that it releases tension and makes their hands feel more relaxed. Other knuckle crackers find that it becomes a nervous habit that helps them deal with anxiety and stress. Some people report enjoying the sound of cracking knuckles, although those around them who arent knuckle crackers will often complain about the almost shiver-inducing noise!
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Conflicting Research On Knuckle Cracking And Arthritis
Research studies comparing knuckle crackers’ to non-crackers have had mixed results.1 A couple of studies have reported an association between knuckle cracking and hand arthritis.4,5 Others found no significant connection.6,7
So, is it okay to continue your knuckle cracking? Well, I wouldnt recommend it. Even studies that found no connection between knuckle cracking and arthritis reported other signs of joint changes.1,7,8
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What Is Cracking Your Knuckles
The first thing to know is that there is no actual cracking going on. Joints are covered by the synovial capsule. Inside the capsule is synovial fluid which helps lubricate the joint. Gases are continuously dissolved in the synovial fluid. When you crack your knuckle, you stretch the capsule which lowers the pressure and creates a vacuum. A bubble of gas is formed and due to the pressure from when you bent your finger, it bursts, creating the popping or cracking sound you hear.
Joint Fluid And Gasses
Your finger joints contain a fluid called synovium. Inside this fluid there are also dissolved gasses of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When a joint is briefly gapped there is a release of joint pressure and audible release of these gasses. This is synonymous with what happens with adjustments of the spine. Despite what you might have been told, the sound is not your joint being put back in to place.
So does cavitation cause arthritis?
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Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis
Anxiety, restlessness or just pure pleasure there are lots of reasons why many find comfort in cracking their knuckles. But, does it cause arthritis? The short answer is no.
According to Houston Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Dr. John Fackler, “There are no known detrimental effects to cracking your knuckles.” At worst, knuckle-cracking may cause temporary swelling or a feeling of weakness in the hands but arthritis, not quite.
What Happens When You Crack Your Knuckles
The need to pop your joints is a medical mystery. No one really knows why this phenomenon exists or its purpose. The mechanics behind joints cracking is well understood, though. A joint is an intersection where two bones connect. The human body has around 360 joints that bring bones together to form a skeleton that is able to bend and move freely.
Joints are surrounded by a membrane full of fluid. The membrane serves to protect the bone caps from friction damage as you move. When you yank on a joint trying to pop it, you create negative space that pulls in some of the fluid. That popping sound that makes Mom cringe is the influx of that fluid.
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Is Age A Factor In Joint Cracking
Age can contribute to joint cracking. As you age, your joints make more noise as the cartilage wears down. You do not need arthritis to have joint cracking with age.
You may only notice the noise when you do certain movements or in certain joints. Through strengthening muscles around those joints, symptoms can often be relieved.
Neck Or Back Cracking: Leave It To The Pros
What about neck and back cracking? Thanks to our sedentary lifestyles of sitting at our desks all day and our penchant for staring down at our phones, which leads to text neck, we may find ourselves having neck or back pain. Somehow, the feeling of release you get after a good crack seems to make it better .
While its probably okay to occasionally self-crack your neck or back, dont have a friend do it for you, because they could apply too much pressure and cause injury. When youre talking about your spine, you want to be careful so only get your back or neck adjusted from a licensed chiropractor or physical therapist.
Even then, there has been research indicating neck manipulations could in rare cases lead to stroke, so make sure you tell your practitioner, if you are at an increased risk of stroke. And be sure to talk to your health care provider, if you have any concerns about the risks of such procedures.
The evidence of whether or not cracking your neck can cause damage is fairly inconclusive, says Raymond J. Hah, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the USC Spine Center of Keck Medicine and assistant professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at the Keck School. There is no evidence that cracking your neck or back is a risk factor for disc degeneration.
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