By cracking your fingers you start to develop Arthritis

Question

Cracking your knuckles does not give you arthritis. The popping sound is connected to the formation and bursting of gas bubbles in your joint fluid. No studies have demonstrated an increased risk of arthritis, but frequent knuckle cracking may slightly reduce grip strength or irritate surrounding tissues​

Comments

I have heard of this notion before, and as someone who cracks their knuckles daily, I don't believe this to be true. The source linked below is from the renowned university Johns Hopkins, which I immediately knew was a reliable source. A quick Google search led me to many different sources, including Northwestern Medicine, the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, and the article linked above from Johns Hopkins, which all debunk this claim. The Johns Hopkins article reads, "There is no evidence of such an association. In limited studies performed there was no change in occurrence of arthritis between “habitual knuckle crackers” and “non crackers”. Based on my research I have not found any information that supports the claim that cracking your knuckles causes arthiritis.

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

https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-news/knuckle-cracking-q-a-from/

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

---

I have heard this before and wondered about it myself. I crack my knuckles every day and have worried about it but never experienced any signs of arthritis. I checked a few different websites and all of them have proved this claim wrong. On the National Library of Medicine website. They did a study on people who crack their knuckles vs not and found, "There was no increased preponderance of arthritis of the hand in either group; however, habitual knuckle crackers were more likely to have hand swelling and lower grip strength." It is a government website and is very reliable. I also found other websites that claim the same thing such as Johns Hopkins Medical and Northwestern Medicine. All of the reliable websites agree that cracking knuckles does not cause arthritis and all of the websites have evidence from doctors.


https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1004074/

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

https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-news/knuckle-cracking-q-a-from/

---

After much research, as an avid knuckle cracker, thankfully have found that knuckle cracking does not cause arthritis. If anything it may cause soreness in your knuckles if done too often but it is not linked to arthritis. I have also seen the research that a man performed where he cracked on hand and not the other one over many years, and there were no signs of arthritis or change in either hand.

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20connection%20between%20cracking%20your%20knuckles%20and%20arthritis.
https://uamshealth.com/medical-myths/will-cracking-your-knuckles-cause-arthritis/

---

The article provided in the initial response to this claim is excellent. Joint popping in general (not just in the knuckles) introduces more gas into the joint, which takes a while to be dissolved in the fluid of the joint (synovial fluid). According to the University of Texas at Austin, joint popping is generally considered safe, though there are no real benefits, aside from momentarily improved mobility. https://uthealthaustin.org/blog/is-cracking-your-joints-really-bad-for-you

---

You have provided a thorough and accurate fact-check on the assertion that arthritis is caused by knuckle cracking. I like how you explained that the popping sound is caused by gas bubbles forming and bursting in the joint fluid and that there is no evidence linking this practice to an increased risk of arthritis.

Additional credible sources that back your results might be used to bolster your case even further. For example, cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis, but if you do it too often, it may produce transient swelling or a decrease in grip strength, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Likewise, the Mayo Clinic affirms that frequent knuckle cracking may irritate surrounding tissues but does not damage joints or induce arthritis.

Your fact-check is comprehensive overall and well backed up by reliable sources. Incorporating these more sources can offer a more thorough comprehension of the consequences of knuckle cracking.


Congratulations on your fact-check!

Answer 1

This claim is false, cracking your bones does not cause arthritis. The noise that you hear is simply coming from bursting gas bubbles that sit in between one's joints. 

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/can-you-get-arthritis-from-cracking-your-knuckles#:~:text=Updated%20March%202023,any%20type%20of%20health%20problem. 

Answer 2

The claim that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis is false. There have been many studies done on knuckle cracking and hand function, and while it can slightly affect things like grip strength and certain functions, it does not lead to arthritis. Knuckle cracking is a cracking of the joint, releasing bubbles of air, but it has not been proven to cause any kind of arthritis.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2344210/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30080300/

Answer 3

This is an extremely common myth that has been around for an extremely long time. There is no evidence that points towards knuckle cracking being a root cause of arthritis. This myth could have simply been started by some trying to stop the annoyance of the sound of knuckle cracking. Donald Unger, an American doctor, once devoted 50 years of his life to this study. Over the half century, he cracked the knuckles of one hand every day, but never on the other hand. At the end of his studies, he found that there was no difference in his two hands. There is some research that shows there may be a small correlation between the act of knuckle cracking and a weaker grip strength, but that data is limited. The science of what a knuckle crack actually is has been debated for a long time. Many attributed it to nitrogen bubbles collapsing, while more recent studies show that it may be due to a collapse in the finger cavity. Regardless, the idea of it causing arthritis is simply a myth with no scientific backing.

Cracking Your Knuckles: Is It Bad for You?