Everyone is familiar with cracking knuckles or joints. It is an extremely common habit that creates a popping sound. Sometimes, constant popping sound of the knuckles may aggravate some people, and there is a common belief that cracking joints can cause arthritis. But is it true?
According to Harvard Health Publishing, cracking joints doesn’t cause arthritis and this conclusion is based on several studies that compared rates of hand arthritis among habitual knuckle-crackers and people who didn’t crack their knuckles.
People tend to crack joints feel looser and enjoy more mobility for a while after cracking. Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center maintains that joints (knuckles) are covered by a capsule (the joint capsule or synovial capsule).
“Within the space of this capsule the synovial fluid is contained which acts as a lubricant and also contains nutrients for the adjacent bone surfaces. A variety of gases are continuously dissolved in this fluid. When one cracks a knuckle, the stretching of the capsule lowers the pressure inside the joint and creates a vacuum which is filled by the gas previously dissolved in the synovial fluid. This creates a “bubble” which then bursts producing the characteristic “popping” or “cracking” sound. It takes a while until these gases are re-dissolved in the synovial fluid which explains why knuckles cannot be “re-cracked” immediately,” it stated.
Harvard Health Publishing reveals that even if knuckle cracking doesn’t cause arthritis, there’s still good reason to let go of the habit. “Chronic knuckle-cracking may lead to reduced grip strength. And there are at least two published reports of injuries suffered while people were trying to crack their knuckles,” it stated.