Question

Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis

Answer 1

I used the Illinois Library website to find an article about cracking knuckles and arthritis. I came across the New York Women’s Day magazine page by Kim C. FLodin. Kim C. Flodin is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. She also has a background in writing, editing, marketing, nonprofit communications, healthcare, public relations, development, and community/patient communications. In the magazine she shares a quote by Robert L. Swezey, researcher and M.D. director of the Santa Monica Arthritis and Back Pain Center. The quote states that the rumor that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis is in fact a rumor. Swezey says this type of occasional movement and manipulation is actually not harmful to joints however there are other parts of the body that aren't safe to crack including the neck and back. 

To further prove cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis, I searched the rates of arthritis among people who have a habit of cracking their knuckles and those who do not crack their knuckles. I came across a study that consisted of “300 consecutive patients ages 45+ and without evidence of neuromuscular, inflammatory, or malignant disease were evaluated for the presence of habitual knuckle cracking and hand arthritis/dysfunction”. According to this study on the nation library of Medicine website, habitual cracking of the knuckles did not cause arthritis amongst these 300 people, but it did cause hand functional impairment. The people who cracked their knuckles were also more likely to have hand swelling and a weaker grip strength. 

To make sure this is really true, I checked out the John Hopkins Arthritis Center website. I found an article by The Arthritis Center and Dimitrios Pappas. In the article it states cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis but there have been reports “in medical literature that knuckle cracking associates with injury of the ligaments surrounding the joint or dislocation of the tendons”. The Arthritis center also found that after years and years of habitual knuckle cracking, people “may have reduced grip strength compared with people not cracking their knuckles”.

According to all these incredibly reliable people/sources/studies, there is no proven correlation between arthritis and cracking your knuckles but there are other potential consequences such as injury, swelling, and weakness of grip strength.

Sources:

Center, A. (2012, March 20). Arthritis news : Knuckle cracking Q&A from Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-news/knuckle-cracking-q-a-from/ 

Castellanos, J., & Axelrod, D. (1990, May). Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function. Annals of rheumatic diseases. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004074/ 

Robert Swezey Obituary (1925 - 2016) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times. Legacy.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/robert-swezey-obituary?id=15862679#:~:text=April%2030%2C%201925%20%2D%20October%2025,and%20teaching%20in%20rheumatological%20rehabilitation.https://www.proquest.com/magazines/truth-about-knuckle-cracking/docview/1866037632/se-2?accountid=14553 https://www.proquest.com/magazines/truth-about-knuckle-cracking/docview/1866037632/se-2?accountid=14553

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-c-flodin-39747014/

Comments

This is a very detailed and thorough fact-check! Nice work finding multiple sources to support your false rating on the claim. Going forward, you can summarize your findings and be briefer if you'd like.

Answer 2

According to a 2022 study, "Debunking Medical Myths: Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis" derives from Wayne State University, it is overall concluded that "Multiple Studies Found No Association Between Knuckle Cracking and Osteoarthritis...a 2017 study found no significant difference in people who cracked their knuckles on a regular basis and those who didn't...another study that investigated risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA) found that the prevalence of habitual knuckle cracking was similar among people with and without OA". ("Debunking Medical Myths: Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis"). Research has proven that there is an increase in the motion of a joint after habitual knuckle cracking, and it is not believed to create enough force to damage cartilage. Additionally, it is overall declared in this study that 25 - 45% of people have a knuckle-cracking habit. 

To furthermore strengthen this fact that knuckle cracking is not associated with arthritis, the scholarly .gov source "The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking" from the National Library of Medicine declares that "habitual knuckle cracking in children has been considered a cause of arthritis...a survey of a geriatric patient population with a history of knuckle cracking failed to show a correlation between knuckle cracking and degenerative changes of the metacarpal phalangeal joints" (National Library of Medicine, "The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking"). This reliable source concludes that "the data failed to support evidence that knuckle cracking leads to degenerative changes in the metacarpal phalangeal joints in old age" (379, National Library of Medicine, "The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking"). 

According to reliable sources, there is no proven association between cracking your knuckles and arthritis. 

Sources 

Chen, Dawei; Rafique, Rumyah; Mogasala, Saiteja; Kelleher, Cecilly; Muralidharan, Arjun; and Halkias, Eleftherios, "Debunking Medical Myths: Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis?" (2022). Patient Education Projects. 287. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/pat_edu_proj/287 

Swezey RL, Swezey SE. The consequences of habitual knuckle cracking. West J Med. 1975 May;122(5):377-9. PMID: 1130029; PMCID: PMC1129752.

Answer 3

According to Harvard Health Publishing by Harvard Medical School, cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis. They found amongst many studies conducted that there is no association between arthritis and knuckle cracking. When your knuckles "pop", the bubbles in the synovial fluid (which lubricates your joints) are bursting, making the cracking noise.

 However, they do suggest to break the habit of knuckle cracking regardless because according to two published reports, people have injured themselves while trying to crack their knuckles. 

Answer 4

According to Northwestern Medicine, there is absolutely no connection between cracking your knuckles and developing arthritis. When you crack your knuckles, the noise is from gas bubbles in the fluid that lubricates your joints. The pops happen when you bend your fingers back or pull them apart. It is a completely harmless habit, however some people find it quite annoying. Northwestern Medicine also states that popping your knuckles is connected to a release in endorphins, which is why so many people have such strong habits of doing so.

Answer 5

This is false. In the article, "Does cracking knuckles cause arthritis" by Harvard Health publishing, several studies compared rates of hand arthritis among habitual knuckle crackers and people who did not crack. There was no correlation found between knuckle cracking and arthritis. The main thing discovered was what knuckle cracking actually does. They stated, "The "pop" of a cracked knuckle is caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid — the fluid that helps lubricate joints. The bubbles pop when you pull the bones apart, either by stretching the fingers or bending them backward, creating negative pressure,". 

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

Answer 6

As someone who loves to crack their knuckles, I’ve had multiple people always tell me, “stop doing that you’re gonna get arthritis in you’re hand” picture my face when I heard  that,  yup exactly that emoji right there. After doing my own research on the claim and already having a feeling on the answer I know that such a claim is a myth. One of my top pieces of evidence comes from Harvard’s Health publishing in which they specifically claim it is a myth in which cracking your knuckles will not cause arthritis. They even go a step further and explain what’s actually happening whne you crack your knuckles. Stating that, “ The "pop" of a cracked knuckle is caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid — the fluid that helps lubricate joints. The bubbles pop when you pull the bones apart, either by stretching the fingers or bending them backward, creating negative pressure” (Harvard Health publishing) So the next time someone says your gonna get arthritis from cracking your knuckles, please send them to this post .

“Does Cracking Knuckles Cause Arthritis?” Harvard Health, 6 July 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis.   

Comments

Don't forget to choose a rating, such as "false" or "true" etc. Nice work!

Answer 7

     After reading this claim I knew I had to factcheck quickly, especially being someone who cracks their knuckles a little too much. I found an article written by Harvard Health Publishing from Harvard Medical School claiming cracking your knuckles "probably won't raise your risk for arthritis" (HHP). However, Harvard Health Publishing does claim there are reasons to let go of this nasty habit, but after listing the negatives that comes from "popping" you knuckles, arthritis is not one of them. Proving that there are negative side effects, but there is not actual evidence that it factually gives those who do pop their knuckles, arthritis. 

source :

 “Does Cracking Knuckles Cause Arthritis?” Harvard Health, 6 July 2020,  https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/does-knuckle-cracking-cause-arthritis 

Answer 8

Apart from making other people uncomfortable from what Ive read, the two are unrelated. Harvard did a study that showed no relation between people with arthritis and habitual knuckle crackers.  There is also another article about houston medicine that debunks this theory as well.

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/

Answer 9

According to an article from the Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Charles Cassidy, Orthopedist in Chief at Tufts Medical Center, explains that the act of cracking joints is the popping of air bubbles in the joint. An experiment was done where a physician cracked his knuckles in one hand everyday for 50 years and X-rays of his hands found that there was no difference in arthritis in the hands. So, there is no association between cracking joints and arthritis.The main indicator to look into for risk of developing arthritis is genetics of the individual. 

Answer 10

According to the Hand and Wrist Institute, cracking your knuckles does not result to arthritis. Doctor John Knight explains, "Currently, no data supports the notion that cracking your knuckles is bad for orthopedic health. Specifically, there appears to be no causal relationship between knuckle cracking and arthritis." Doctor Knight supports his claim with an experiment conducted by Doctor Donald L. Unger. Doctor Unger cracked his knuckles on his left hand for 60 years, and he did not receive arthritis. Therefore, there is no correlation between cracking your knuckles and arthritis. 

https://handandwristinstitute.com/is-cracking-your-knuckles-bad/

Comments

Nice work - you dug further and found a reputable reference that has not been used in other students' fact-checks on this topic.