By Zachary Heppner – Viewpoints Contributor
Knuckle cracking is a common phenomenon as nearly 50% of Americans crack their knuckles. And as long as these knuckle-crackers have been cracking their knuckles, they have also certainly been warned that doing so would cause arthritis later in life. As a knuckle-cracker myself, I have been told countless times by my own parents that I need to stop because it will cause me to have arthritis. So what makes this iconic cracking sound, and does it truly lead to a risk for arthritis later in life?
This noise that we here when we pull our fingertips backward or clench our fingers into a fist is caused by the space between our joints increasing as we crack our knuckles. This causes the gases dissolved in the fluid around our joints to form bubbles. These bubbles then merge into a larger bubble, which gets popped by additional fluid that rushes in to fill this enlarged space. The cracking noise you hear is cause by the release of this fluid. This build-up of gases/fluids is not harmful to the body if your knuckles are not cracked, but knuckle cracking does release some of the pressure that has built up. This can make the fingers feel a little looser and more flexible.
Now that we know what is making this noise, let’s find out if its harmful and if this myth is true or not. There have been plenty of studies done on this topic, and the overwhelming answer is that there is no connection between knuckle cracking and arthritis. In 2009 a California doctor was awarded a Nobel Prize for his research. For over 60 years he cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, but never cracked the knuckles on his right hand. He concluded that he did not find any signs of arthritis in either hand.
In a more traditional study done with hundreds of participants in 2012 looked not only at who cracked their knuckles, but also how often. One would think that someone who cracked their knuckles every hour would surely show more signs of arthritis then someone who cracks them once a day. But yet again the study found that “there was no difference in he prevalence of osteoarthritis between those who did or did not crack their knuckles.”
Although these studies and the various other research done point to the obvious conclusion that this arthritis myth is debunked, it is important to note one sign of caution. Although medical research shows no link to arthritis, there does seem to be a connection between knuckle cracking and loss of grip strength.
This myth was most likely the result of people with arthritis finding that their joints crack due to the damage to their cartilage. Another culprit to the progression of this myth could also be the thought that the cracking of joints sounds unpleasant and would appear to cause damage. Regardless of where this myth originated from, it is untrue. The true risk factors for arthritis are age, family history, and working a job with heavy manual labor for several years.
If you are a knuckle-cracker, you can keep on safely cracking without the fear of arthritis. However, if you continue to crack those knuckles please keep in mind the conclusion of doctors from a nursing home study, in which they found that “The chief morbid consequence of knuckle cracking would appear to be its annoying effect on the observer.”
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