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Is Knuckle Cracking Hurting Your Joints
- chelsie462
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qTJh3k_uXg&t=10s
Mike: Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis?
Brad: Well, today, we are going to see if this old myth is actually true and give you the right answer from some great research.
Mike: So first, we want to explain what happens when you actually crack your knuckles.
Brad: Right. So, shall we get into the details of the synovial fluid within the joint, within the capsule? Now, Mike has a model of a capsule here, which is holding the fluid. The red represents the synovial fluid, a lubricant that all joints have, and within that fluid, there are actual bubbles.
Mike: Bubbles of gas or nitrogen.
Brad: Nitrogen, yes.
Mike: Typically, they can form over time. And what happens when you go to crack your knuckle is you put pressure on it, either by pulling or bending and flexing, and that bubble ends up getting to the edge of the joint capsule there, and it pops. That's what makes the popping noise when you crack your knuckles.
Brad: We should get into a little more detail for these people. There's actually a change in pressure making the bubble pop. That's not a big deal. It's just me, personally. Anyways, yeah, so we've got that happening in your joint, so when the bubble pops, that's why you can't crack your knuckles and then crack them again. It takes up to half an hour or longer before the bubbles reform.
Mike: Now, you may have some issues, like I do in my ankles, where you keep doing the same motion and you keep hearing cracking. That's actually a tendon going over a bone, so that's not actually cracking of the joint, just to distinguish the difference between them.
Brad: Yeah, that could be called crepitus, but that's another story.
Mike: Anyway, we would like to talk about a personal experiment done by a physician named Donald Unger, so he actually cracked his fingers in only his left hand for over 60 years, and wanted to see if he would develop arthritis in his left hand and not his right. But we're not going to share the answer till the end, so you have to stay tuned.
Brad: Now, that is dedication. I don't know if I could actually do that for 60 years, but I suppose it's a habit.
Mike: I'd feel like I'd wanna crack the other hand, yeah. Anyway, we're gonna get into some of the science and studies looking at this, so the first study we have is called "Knuckle Cracking and Hand Osteoarthritis." This looked at 215 people between the ages of 50 and 89, and some of the people in this group cracked their knuckles, some of them didn't. They just asked them generally what they did. And what they found is, 18.1% of people who actually cracked their knuckles developed osteoarthritis within their hands, but they also interviewed the people who did not crack their knuckles, and 21.5% of them had osteoarthritis in their hands. So those numbers kind of cancel each other out because they're very similar, showing there's no significant difference between cracking your knuckles and developing arthritis.
Brad: But wait, we have another study to look at, plus, we're going to go back and look at Dr. Unger's results.
Mike: We are, so "The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking" is the next study we are looking at. This was published in the Western Journal of Medicine, and it involved 300 people. They found no correlation between cracking your knuckles and actually developing arthritis, but they did have a note, while the knuckle crackers had higher rates of swelling and reduced grip strength over time than the non-knuckle crackers, so if you are having some swelling and inflammation in your joints, maybe cracking them may make it worse.
Brad: So the knuckle crackers, reduced grip strength. Now, I wonder if that's correlation or causation.
Mike: We don't know.
Brad: Yeah, maybe we should look into that.
Mike: I keep thinking of the Nutcracker right now.
Brad: Maybe we should watch "The Nutcracker Suite".
Mike: Maybe.
Brad: Yeah. All right, so I get to speak a little bit now. I'm going to reveal the results of Dr. Unger's knuckle cracking of the left hand. So the right hand, I wonder if that got stronger or not, but that wasn't revealed. After 60 years, the results were, there's no difference from right to left hand in regards to arthritis, osteoarthritis specifically. This is three big studies, I think, and the last one is big. Dr. Unger, I can't imagine. That man is a man of men.
Mike: You are getting very excited. I crack my knuckles. Am I a man of men? Anyway, think when it comes to the myth busted that this is busted. There is no true evidence saying cracking your knuckles actually causes arthritis, so if you're a knuckle cracker, just crack away, I guess.
Brad: Right, and if anybody disputes you, you just tell them to look up Bob and Brad and this video, because we have the evidence, and I would say it's good.
Mike: Yeah, it's great.
Brad: Indisputable.
Mike: So comment down below if you actually crack your knuckles or not, because now you're safe to say so, and people won't yell at you.
Brad: And our extra video that relates to this, which will help you with pain relief for the wrist, hands, and fingers, exercises, and treatments.
Mike: Yeah, so if you are having some arthritis in your hands from whatever, try these exercises and watch the video, "Pain Relief For Wrist, Hand & Fingers, 7 Exercises/Treatments."
Brad: Right, and we do know that movement, range of motion, and exercise are good for arthritis if it's done appropriately.
Mike: I'm going to go crack my knuckles now.
Brad: Ooh, nice ones. Good.
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