#Pop your thumb crack
Research suggests people who often crack their knuckles may have: Even studies that found no connection between knuckle cracking and arthritis reported other signs of joint changes. So, is it okay to continue your knuckle cracking? Well, I wouldn’t recommend it. 4, 5 Others found no significant connection. 1 A couple of studies have reported an association between knuckle cracking and hand arthritis. Research studies comparing knuckle crackers' to non-crackers have had mixed results. But what do medical researchers say?Ĭonflicting research on knuckle cracking and arthritis It seems logical that habitual knuckle cracking causes arthritis or other degenerative changes in the hand. 3 This is why you can’t crack the same knuckle twice in a row. It usually takes 15 or 20 minutes for the gas bubbles to dissipate and for the bones of the joint to return to their normal positions.It is not clear whether the cracking noise is produced when bubbles form or when the bubbles pop.The pressure change causes tiny gas bubbles to form in the knuckle’s joint fluid. Any of these movements can cause a change in pressure in the joint. To produce a cracking sensation, a finger is forced forward or backward (doctors call this hyper-flexion or hyper-extension at a metacarpophalangeal joint) or pulled straight away from the hand.The clicking, cracking, popping, or snapping that occurs when you crack your knuckles is associated with tiny gas bubbles.Located where the fingers meet the hand, knuckles are sometimes called metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPs).
See When Hand Pain Is Osteoarthritis How knuckles crack If knuckle cracking is accompanied by pain, swelling, or stiffness, it may be hand osteoarthritis.