Ok, so can you get arthritis from popping your knuckles?

Question

I'm really curious. My Aunt is a massage therapist and said no, but most other people I talk to say yes! So, which is it: Yes or No? Please explain your answer =) Thanks!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Hi,

No, popping or cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis. Ask Yahoo! covered this topic back in 2002. Scientists studied 300 habitual knuckle crackers and found no link between cracking one's knuckles and the development of arthritis.

Ah, but hold on. Ask Yahoo! goes on to explain that "chronic crackers did suffer other harm, including soft tissue damage and loss of grip strength." However, the damage is usually minor.

You can read more about the cracking of knuckles by clicking on the links below.

Mike

p.s. -- the sound of cracking knuckles is actually the bursting of bubbles in the synovial fluid that's found between joints. It usually takes about 30 minutes for the bubbles to reform.

Source(s):

http://ask.yahoo.com/20020828.html
http://www.panix.com/~iayork/knuckles.ht…
http://www.thirdage.com/healthgate/files…

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Very informative, thanks so much! *CRACK!!* lol =P
And thanks to all the rest as well! You guys are very helpful! Take care and God bless!

Answer 2

Just heard on the news that's a fallacy. After all people that are double jointed "crack" their joints all the time.

So crack away.

Answer 3

no... its just a myth

Answer 4

No. The popping noise is air caught between your joints.

Answer 5

I always hear u do so i guess ill say yes

Answer 6

no it doesnt. the sound that it makes is just the bubbles surrounding the joint popping. the pressure makes it pop

Answer 7

people that do it alot will tell you that their knucks hurt when they get older, but i dont know if its arthritis or not

Answer 8

i think that it is yes because when you pop your knuckles, they get bigger and they get used to being popped so when you dont pop them they start to hurt and that triggers arthritis.

dont quote me plz. i am not sure.

Answer 9

I'm not sure about this, but my health teacher in high school said that that was just a myth and you can't get arthritis from popping your nuckles.

Answer 10

No....wives tale...been doing it for over 40 years, and my hands are as limber as when I was 10.

Answer 11

No. I saw some show on this... the pop you hear is actually an air bubble in the joint or something... either way, the answer is no.

Answer 12

no, it is total urban legend. you can die if you eat pop rocks and drink a soda at the same time though.

Answer 13

the popping noise is the release of nitrogen pockets and if you do it way too much excessively it possibly could

Answer 14

no. its a myth. the cracking sound that you hear is gas bubbles escaping from the cracks. and you dont have to be double jointed to rack your fingers. im not,and i still crack them

Answer 15

My mother has always told me that ''old wive's tale''. I have been cracking mine sine around ten years old. 20 some years later still have had no problem. So I would say no. I would go with your aunt's answer as she would most likely know.

Answer 16

yes. dont do it

Source(s):

MOI

Answer 17

No, it's a old wives' tale.

Answer 18

Well, there are three different kinds of arthritis: Rheumatoid, Osteo and traumatic. Rheumatoid is actually a problem with the immune system. Osteo is related to aging and traumatic is they kind that results from injury or insult to a joint.

I suppose popping your knuckles repeatedly over a long enough period of time could produce sufficient damage, it is not very likely. There are other reasons to not do it. For one thing it makes calcium deposits build which causes stiffness and requires more popping. This can also make the knuckles look larger than normal.

.

Answer 19

no its a myth but you can get big knuckles from it

Answer 20

Absolutely not, it is just air trapped in the joint that you are hearin crack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_kn…

Answer 21

No