Question

By cracking your fingers you start to develop Arthritis

Comments

It seems like the article linked claims that there is no scientific claim that cracking your knuckles will lead to a higher chance of developing arthritis or osteoarthritis.

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This topic interests me because I crack my knuckles on a daily basis, and I have always wondered if this will cause my hands damage in the future. It seems like you got this information from a reputable source, BBC News, and that they stated many claims that were sourced very well. It is clear that they did thorough research on this topic and made sure their sources were correct. I am curious as to what the definitive conclusion of this article was though. It seems like there were some studies mentioned that showed affects of osteoarthritis from knuckle cracking, but there were also sources mentioned that the two have no correlation with each other. My suggestion would be to use another source that could defend one answer or the other with a more clear consensus on if cracking knuckles does cause osteoarthritis in the future.

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This claim is not true. After browsing a few different websites, I have found that there is no actual scientific evidence to prove that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Reliable sources such as Harvard Health, John Hopkins Arthritis Center, and even Northwestern Medicine have confirmed this.

According to Harvard Health, this claim is just a myth. Studies have been conducted comparing hand rates of arthritis in those who cracked there knuckles have found that there is no correlation.

Though it should be noted that if one already has arthritis, cracking knuckles may worsen their symptoms. UAMS Health has confirmed that it is not the only reason for arthritis symptoms.

https://uamshealth.com/medical-myths/will-cracking-your-knuckles-cause-arthritis/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20truth%20is%20there%20is,cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.

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This claim seems to be untrue. Northwestern Medicine's website says that "the popping noises when you crack your knuckles is caused by bursting gas bubbles in the fluid that helps lubricate your joints." The popping, is the bubbles when you pull or bend your fingers.(https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-yourknuckles#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20truth%20is%20there%20is,cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.) Also Harvard supports the claim that it doesn't cause arthritis as the bubbles bursting in the fluid helps lubricate the joints which doesn't cause long term damage.(https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis)

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You did a great job explaining that cracking your knuckles doesn't cause arthritis, using reliable sources like Harvard Health and Johns Hopkins to back up your points. While it’s true that there’s no evidence linking knuckle cracking to arthritis, it’s good to mention that it might cause other issues, such as joint swelling or reduced grip strength over time, according to UAMS Health. Adding an example like Dr. Donald Unger’s self-study, where he cracked one hand’s knuckles for years without any signs of arthritis, could make your argument even stronger. Overall, your response is solid, and including these details would improve it further!

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Great job fact checking this! It's interesting how both Northwestern Medicine and Harvard emphasize that the sound from cracking knuckles is from gas bubbles, not joint damage, which debunks the arthritis myth. It’s reassuring to know that, according to these reliable sources, there’s no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis.

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This is a great breakdown of the myth versus the facts. It’s really helpful that you highlighted sources like Harvard Health, Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern Medicine, because these organizations provide trustworthy, research-based information. The clarification about cracking knuckles possibly worsening symptoms for those with existing arthritis is also very informative. Your summary really clears up a common misconception.

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In regards to the claim that cracking your knuckles will develop arthritis, the article does a good job providing evidence against this statement. Within the piece, the author includes a variety of sources that all suggest evidence that attribute to falsifying the initial claim. Although the author doesn't specify where the sources were gathered from, I was able to look each of them up and found multiple sites where this information was presented. Since the details of the information remained similar across the different sites, it is safe to say that it is reliable data from reliable sources. Additionally, BBC, where the article is posted, is known to be a trusted new broadcasting page. Overall, these factors can lead to the accountability of the article and justify the claim that cracking your knuckles will not cause arthritis problems in the future.

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The article claims that people who crack their knuckles are more likely to get arthritis. It cites reputable sources, including the Family Board of Medicine and the National Library of Medicine. It outlines what cracking your knuckles is and how it works. The article addresses the lack of studies done on the subject. However, it uses the studies that have been done to show that, most likely, cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis. The article starts with a question and successfully answers it. Overall, this is not clickbait and is true.

Answer 1

This claim is not true. After browsing a few different websites, I have found that there is no actual scientific evidence to prove that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Reliable sources such as Harvard Health, John Hopkins Arthritis Center, and even Northwestern Medicine have confirmed this.

According to Harvard Health, this claim is just a myth. Studies have been conducted comparing hand rates of arthritis in those who cracked there knuckles have found that there is no correlation.

Though it should be noted that if one already has arthritis, cracking knuckles may worsen their symptoms. UAMS Health has confirmed that it is not the only reason for arthritis symptoms.

https://uamshealth.com/medical-myths/will-cracking-your-knuckles-cause-arthritis/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20truth%20is%20there%20is,cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.

Comments

I enjoyed reading your response and although concise, it offered clear helpful information in a misleading article. I think it is important you noted the difference between cracked knuckles giving someone arthritis, and pre existing arthritis being worsened by cracked knuckles. I also think that your sources were very good since they were reliable and many of them.

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I am someone that has cracked their knuckles their entire life, and I was always told I would get arthritis from it one day. As soon as I began to do research, I found that this was not accurate at all. I appreciate that you acknowledged that cracking your knuckles while you have arthritis can worsen the pain / symptoms. I think that was an important element of transparency exhibited, showing that there can be potential drawbacks to knuckle cracking. That doesn't change that knuckle cracking in itself doesn't make an individual any more likely to get arthritis.

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I was very curious on wether or not this claim was true or not, as Ive always heard that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. Im glad to hear that that is not the case. The source you provided from Harvard is very helpful and trustworthy. Thanks for providing some information on if you DO have arthritis, and how in that case, yes cracking your knuckles might worsen symptoms.

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This is a very thorough fact check and thoughtful for also mentioning that arthritis may be worsened by cracking and shows how some people may be led to think that the two are correlated.

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GREAT FACTCHECK

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Thank you for factchecking this. I have always cracked my knuckles ever since the 1st grade and I remember my dad always telling me I am going to get arthritis. It is nice knowing that the claim is in fact untrue!

Answer 2

This topic interests me because I crack my knuckles on a daily basis, and I have always wondered if this will cause my hands damage in the future. It seems like you got this information from a reputable source, BBC News, and that they stated many claims that were sourced very well. It is clear that they did thorough research on this topic and made sure their sources were correct. I am curious as to what the definitive conclusion of this article was though. It seems like there were some studies mentioned that showed affects of osteoarthritis from knuckle cracking, but there were also sources mentioned that the two have no correlation with each other. My suggestion would be to use another source that could defend one answer or the other with a more clear consensus on if cracking knuckles does cause osteoarthritis in the future.

Comments

Your comment is thoughtful and adds depth to the discussion! It’s great to see you reflecting on the potential impacts of knuckle cracking, especially since it’s a habit for you. You make a good point about wanting a more definitive conclusion—some articles and studies can be ambiguous or present conflicting information. Adding an additional source with a stronger consensus could indeed help solidify the argument one way or the other.

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I think that you did a good job fact checking this article. You did an efficient analysis of the information provided by the source, but I really liked how you pointed out that the article does not give a specific side/answer to the question. I also noticed that as well and agree with your points. I also liked how you suggested using a different article for information because it helps the person who posted the question/claim to find an answer. Good job!

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I completely relate to your concern about cracking knuckles and its potential impact on hand health, as I do the same. It’s great seeing credible sources like BBC News to contribute to the discussion. I agree that the many conflicting studies about osteoarthritis make it hard to know what to believe. finding another source that provides a clearer consensus would definitely help clarify this issue.

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as a fellow cracker of knuckles, I always end up correcting my friends and family and telling them that there's nothing to support this claim.  Good job finding evidence to back up the overturning of this claim.

Answer 3

I also thought this was interesting because I saw the study that the article talked about of the man who cracked one of his hands for most of his life, but there was no prevailing or obvious sign that this habit affected his hand. One thing I'd note is that this article is from 2012 so it might be helpful to find research on a more recent article. As well, the author states that the disease osteoarthritis wasn't prominent in a study for those that did habitually crack their knuckles compared to people that didn't, so there was no clear sign of whether someone's hands were affected, and therefore the article doesn't come to any real conclusion. After scrolling down this is what came up, "You can hear more Medical Myths on Health Check on the BBC World Service." So this might be a sign that the author knew it was a myth. 

Comments

I think your answer is very thoughtful and helpful. I think it is good that you did further research and decided to base your claim off of that. I agree with you that the article did not come up with a clear conclusion and therefore shouldn't be used as fact. To further support your claim, my aunt who works as a certified hand therapist, has told me that our bodies build up gasses naturally and the small bubbles of gas get stuck in between our knuckles and that is what is released when we crack our knuckles. She says that it is completely harmless and is like your fingers farting.

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The fact that the article itself doesn't corroborate the claim that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis is huge. It feels as though the information in the article has been misinterpreted in the claim.

Answer 4

Although this is a common misconception, it is not actually scientifically proven that knuckle cracking causes the development of arthritis. The article you linked came to the conclusion that they could not find the correlation between knuckle cracking and arthritis; "The chief morbid consequence of knuckle cracking would appear to be its annoying effect on the observer."  Looking outside of that article, I found more sources that believe that the two do not correlate either. One article is from Harvard Health Publishing; they state that the claim is a myth and that cracking your knuckles won't raise your chances of developing arthritis. However, both articles mentioned studies that were done to measure grip strength, and the results came back looking like people who have been cracking their knuckles have reduced grip strength. The Houston Methodist Leading Medicine does state that knuckle-cracking does not increase your risk of arthritis, however, cracking your knuckles may increase your finger size, since it can cause a little bit of swelling for a little bit. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis

https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/jun/does-cracking-your-knuckles-cause-arthritis/ 

Comments

This is a very good answer. You researched it well and linked your sources for easy access and accreditation. It was very helpful that you looked into the findings of the original poster's source, as well as look outside that source to find evidence that confirmed the falseness of the claim. I liked that you also gave alternative health issues that may be related to knuckle-cracking.

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Your comment does a great job of clearing up the myth about knuckle-cracking and arthritis by using reliable sources. You explained well that knuckle-cracking isn’t linked to arthritis, with examples from Harvard Health and Houston Methodist, which makes it easy to understand. Mentioning possible effects like grip strength and finger swelling also gives a more complete picture—nice work!

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This is a very thorough and well done fact check. It was helpful that you first knocked down the provided article by saying that it didn't come to the same conclusion the claim made. You then provided outside trusted and reliable sources, and pulled good information from them. You also added new information into the conversation towards the end that it doesn't correlate to arthritis, but does make your fingers appear larger due to swelling. Well done.

Answer 5

Even though there is a misconception about cracking knuckles increasing your chances of arthritis, theres been that proves this claim incorrect. In the article that you had provided it states that there had been little research done on this topic and on the research they did they concluded many times that "there was no difference in the prevalence of osteoarthritis between those who did not crack their knuckles and who those did". After looking at other sources I got the same results all of them concluding that cracking your knuckles does not heighten the risk of getting arthritis. From Harvard Health Publishing they came up with the same conclusion that cracking your knuckles doesn't cause arteritis but may lead to a weaker grip strength. BBC news is a good reliable source but I recommend you look through the article all the way through before making the claim.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis

Comments

I think your analysis is thoughtful and recognizes the fact that the article didn't really address an answer to the question and provided evidence for both sides of the question. I agree that more research should be done than just reading the article and coming to a conclusion. Overall, I liked your analysis, and I think you addressed a key point!

Answer 6

After reading through the article for a brief moment, I found that the main claim of the article isn’t an exact yes to the title of the article, asking if cracking knuckles causes arthritis. Instead, the article says it could just damage the cartilage covering the joint. With that being said, I looked up the topic to see what other sources say and they said that cracking knuckles is not proven to cause arthritis, reporting back practically the same information. The news source is high quality, easy to understand, and appears professional. The author, Claudia Hammond, is a British author, radio presenter and podcast host for BBC (who the article is published by) radio 4 and BBC World Service. She has a health background as she gained an MSc in health psychology, doing research into doctor-patient communication. She also continues doing work in psychology throughout her career like becoming a visiting professor for Public Understanding of Psychology. With that being said, I would say she has a decent amount of experience on this subject and how to research efficiently given her career. However, the article is pretty outdated as it was posted over a decade ago; September 17, 2012, which affects the credibility of the source. The quotes and statistics included within the article seem correct and beneficial to the claim being made in the article, with the sources used being linked to each piece of evidence included. The text is not written with bias as it is an informative article addressing an inquiry, and the purpose of it is to provide information answering a commonly asked question. It addresses both sides of the argument, stating research where it appears more likely and other research where it shows it makes no difference at all. The first thing I noticed about the article is that the headline does grab the attention of the reader, and one thing I like about the headline is that it’s a question so that people who are wondering the same thing can look at the article and see if an answer has been found. Overall, I find this article to be decently reliable, and I think that it most likely does not cause arthritis but it is important to keep in mind when this article was posted as information may have changed between then and now.

Answer 7

Upon fact checking this claim, I found at least four other articles with the same or similar title as the source they linked in this claim questioning whether cracking one's knuckles causes arthritis. Just by copying and pasting their claim, I learned this was a commonly questioned statement. I did not find any articles agreeing with the claim, which increased my confidence that this was fake.

After reading the source they posted, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that cracking knuckles causes arthritis. In fact, the article states “a Californian doctor called Donald Unger cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving his right knuckles uncracked. His conclusion? ‘I'm looking at my fingers, and there is not the slightest sign of arthritis in either hand,’ he said.” Though this source, BBC, is a reputable source, there is no clear conclusion that cracking knuckles leads to arthritis. Though, the article also did state that very few studies about this phenomena have been carried out. In addition, the article mentioned “Knuckle-crackers appeared to have a grip that wasn’t as strong, and 84% of them had signs of swelling in their hands” which led me to do more research on this claim.

I found this article from Northwestern Medicine updated in 2023 stating “‘The truth is there is no connection between cracking your knuckles and arthritis — or any other long-term health problem,’ says Eric M. Ruderman, MD, a rheumatologist at Northwestern Medicine”. 

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20truth%20is%20there%20is,cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.

Ruderman specializes in rheumatology, which focuses primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and autoimmune diseases, making him a credible second source. The science behind knuckle cracking is that popping noises or “crepitus” are caused by bursting gas bubbles in the fluid that help lubricate your joints. The bubbles pop when you pull the bones apart, either by stretching the fingers or bending them backward. This has shown to be just a harmless habit that shows no signs of medial threat. Overall, this claim is fake.

Answer 8

There is no scientific evidence of this claim and it has actually been proven multiple times to not cause arthritis. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis

Answer 9

After careful research, the connection between cracking your knuckles and arthritis is not scientifically proven. In the article given above, BBC mentions various general studies that discuss this connection. In all of those studies it has been shown that cracking your knuckles has no influence on the development of arthritis. A similar article from Northwestern Medicine also claimed that the connection between knuckling cracking and arthritis does not exist. This is trust worthy as the article from Northwestern has featured opinions from Eric M. Rudermen, a rheumatologist (a medical professional that specializes in joints, muscles, bones, and internal organs.

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20truth%20is%20there%20is,cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.

Answer 10

Cracking your knuckles doesn't necessarily cause arthritis. According to an article by WebMD, when you crack your knuckles, it is simply just your tendons snapping over each tissues due to "minor adjustments in their gliding paths". If there is pain that accompanies cracking knuckles then that can be contributed to some other abnormalities with the joints because no always does cracking your knuckles come with pain. Personally, it relieves my fingers and my hand of tension, especially after typing for a long period of time. Therefore, there is no evidence or studies done to prove that cracking your knuckles over time causes arthritis.

https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/joint-cracking-osteoarthritis