I don't know how many of you pop your knuckles, but I do and have for a significant amount of time (like since I was 9 years old). I know that through conversation with some others (Jordan) it is a concern as to whether or not popping your knuckles leads to the painful disease of arthritis.
First of all, if other blogs haven't been read, there are two types of arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The major difference between them is that rheumatoid arthritis is the inflammatory disease in which the synovial membrane around the joints is chronically inflamed. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the cartilage in the joints and is usually diagnosed and seen in elderly individuals.
What happens mechanically when popping your knuckle is the increase of space between your joint causes the dissolved gases in the synovial fluid to accumulate into a bubble and pop because of the pressure caused by more fluid entering the space.
In my research of the topic, there were mostly articles about studies that have looked at this question. One in particular comes from BBC Future, and article called "Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?" In it, the author, Claudia Hammond, shares the results of two studies: one conducted in 1975 with 25 resident in a Jewish nursing home in LA. It sounds like it was like a survey where each person was asked if they had ever been habitual knuckle crackers. "Those who had were less likely to have osteoarthritis in their hands later on."
In another study published last year, "the most comprehensive so far" looked at how often people cracked their knuckles in addition to just the fact of whether or not they did. There was no correlation of prevalence in osteoarthritis and how often one cracked their knuckles. The outcome was about the same for everyone.
The last study mentioned in this particular article gave other types of consequences for popping knuckles outside of the existence of arthritis. The study was done in Detroit in 1990 and looked at 300 people over the age of 45 and found that knuckle-crackers had a less strong grip than those who were not and also that 84% of them had some swelling in their hands. Though this does not confirm that we will have arthritis if we continue to pop our knuckles, there could be other consequences later on.
The most coherent risk factors for arthritis is family history, age, any injury that may have occurred, and "a lifetime of heavy labour and/or working with your hands."
www.bbc.com/future/story/20120917-is-it-bad-to-crack-your-knuckles/1
I’m really glad that you found an article discussing this topic. I’m the worst at cracking my knuckles; I’ve been doing it since a young age. Every once in a while, someone will tell me how bad it is for you, but can never explain why. It seems as if everyone knows it’s a habit that should be stopped, but do not understand why. I’m pleased to hear that cracking knuckles has no correlation with osteoarthritis. Sadly though I can relate to the last study you discussed. You mentioned that it showed that those who cracked their knuckles had a less strong grip and swelling in their hands. Lately when I crack my knuckles, my fingers become so weak for a few minutes and it is also hard for me to form a tight fist. It’s a habit I need to learn to stop to prevent future issues.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I as well crack my knuckles here and there and thought there would not be any big problems. As the funding found that it wouldn't relate to osteoarthritis is a big relief for me and anyone else who probably crack their knuckles as well. As for the other study, does it say that if we stop the cracking, does the "strong grip" eventually go back to normal status?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't mention anything about whether or not stopping the habit would reverse the other consequences such as a weaker grip. However, I imagine that not cracking your knuckles anymore would prevent any progression of whatever has happened already.
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DeleteI have heard conflicting information on cracking knuckles and arthritis also. I would like to see more studies on this to confirm the relationship, as the study in 1975 only had 25 participants and they were not a very diverse sample.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if cracking knuckles might impact a previously injured joint more than a healthy joint.A study like this might take more effort -- finding participants that have had joint injuries, then having enough participants to split this into a control and experimental group -- to determine if there are any effects.
It was mentioned in this paper as well as one other that the risk factors for developing arthritis in joints was more focused on things like genetic disposition and family history, joints that have been injured, as well as doing laborious work like heavy lifting or even knitting where you are using the joints and putting stress on them more often than the average person.
DeleteI thought that study was really interesting because I would have assume the opposite. I do not crack my knuckles so maybe I should start! Although that would drive me crazy since I can't stand the sound! I do have a problem with cracking my big toe though and I can feel that is does swell sometimes. I would like to see more research on this topic however.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you presented this study Maile! it is an honor to be mentioned in it as your motivation to do research on tis subject. I have been cracking my knuckles since high school, but the only reason I do it is because of the discomfort in my hands if I do not. Have there been studies on the outcomes of those who restrain from cracking their knuckles? Maybe by not cracking, the gaseous pockets would become so great that the lack of synovial fluid might be more problematic? Do you think the consequences of relieving the pain and tightening are worth it from what you have read? Just some things that crossed my mind with what you have brought to the table.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat with you, Jordan. Although I haven't ever had an injury to my hands, I continue to pop out of habit mostly, but also if I don't pop them, they do get uncomfortable. I haven't read anything yet on whether stopping the popping causes any deleterious effect, but it's worth looking into. I'll keep you updated!
DeleteI will say, that one of my knuckles doesn't pop anymore and it's painful to press down on the knuckle. Whether or not it's a result of popping them for so long I don't know, but it did swell up pretty good before it subsided and now there is just pain in the joint when I try and pop it. Otherwise it's fine...
Do you think the same goes for when people crack their neck or back? I find myself cracking my knuckles, my neck, and my back out of habit, and I feel like afterwards, I feel much looser. However, I'm not sure if doing all that is good for my spine and neck. I'd like to do more research about it, but I'm surprised to read that cracking my knuckles could possibly reduce the chance of having osteoarthritis in the future.
ReplyDeleteAlso the blog talks about a lifetime of heavy labor and hard work, I wonder how/if this might change since we in an age where everything is through technology. I'm kind of interested to see if this issues like carpal tunnel could accelerate or affect arthritis.
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ReplyDeleteThis also reminds me of this man I read about a few years ago who only cracked the knuckles on one hand for years to see if it would cause a difference between his normal hand and the one he cracked. He said that there was no difference between the hand that he cracked his knuckles on and the control hand that he did not crack at all. I tried to find the article but I could only find it in print and not online.
ReplyDeleteUnger, Donald L. "Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?" Arthritis & Rheumatism 41.5 (1998): 949-50. Print.
Nice topic. I am also a knuckle-cracker, and I remember the time when my dad was telling me that I would develop arthritis later on in your life and I could not talk him back because of a lack of information at the time. But I can finally tell him that the chance I develop arthritis is the SAME as yours. Thank you for the great post.
ReplyDeleteI love how many of us chose to comment on this! I freely admit that I am one of those annoying knuckle-crackers alongside the neck, wrist, ankle, and back popping. Growing up, I was told that I would never be able to have long fingers like all the pretty girls and would end up with sausage-like fingers like guys (no offense to the men reading this). Nevertheless, just like any other child, I did the opposite and popped away. Throughout the years, I had noticed that there has been an increase in the amount of times I pop my joints.
ReplyDeleteOne study that I would have liked to see would be the cracking associated with stress. It does not have to be directly associated with the stress but it can be associated with sitting in one place for too long; an example of this would be sitting in the coffee shop or library staring at the computer screen for a couple hours.
Thank you Maile for finding this great article! I have been cracking my knuckles since I can remember. I actually was wondering why this even happens. I always got yelled at by my elders that it is a really bad thing to do and my joints are going to swell, my fingers will get crooked, and that my hands would shake forever! (Some of the side effects of arthritis) Of course these are things parents tell their kids so they stop doing harmful things. Now that I know this information I will do the same thing as Sho and go to my parents and let them know the actual scientific reasons of why this is not going to cause arthritis! But thinking about the inflammation in the hands caused by this makes sense since it is basically an irritation that could cause a reaction by the immune system that increases inflammation.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was little I would crack my knuckles all the time and my uncle would always tell me not to because of arthritis. I never listened and still do it to this day without thinking. I’m glad that cracking my knuckles won’t in fact give me arthritis if it is not painful. On WebMD they share that when you have pain from popping joints then that is when one should worry. Luckily if popping our knuckles is painless then I don’t see why we should completely stop. Maybe just not in a public or quiet place since its socially bothersome and sometimes considered rude.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/joint-cracking-osteoarthritis