ForumsThe TavernIs cracking your knuckles bad for you?

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Masterforger
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Masterforger
1,824 posts
Peasant

I crack my knuckles quite often, mainly because they feel like they need to be cracked, I am sure you know the feeling. The way I normally crack my knuckles is just locking my fingers and stretching my arms, though I can often just move my fingers back without my other hand to crack them. Is this bad for me? I've looked at a couple pages (1) but I want you fellow smart people and knuckle crackers' opinions.

(I also roll my toes over and crack them, is this bad?)

  • 35 Replies
Kasic
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Kasic
5,557 posts
Jester

Cracking your knuckles doesn't harm anything. Same for any other joint.

Although I suppose if you're too forceful you could damage something...but generally you stop when there's pain.

MrStealth
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MrStealth
151 posts
Peasant

like one time i was lenning on a chair and my cracked and it hurt

GandalftheGrey666
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GandalftheGrey666
1,859 posts
Peasant

My brother did that when he was about 14,15 years old.He did it three times a day.Nothing happened with his fingers.Nothing happened to his fingers after that.

R2D21999
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R2D21999
18,319 posts
Treasurer

I crack every part of my body and nothing happens to my fingers or my other parts.

So I'm pretty much saying that it isn't bad.

HahiHa
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HahiHa
8,250 posts
Regent

It doesn't any real bad, but if done frequently over long time it will eventually affect the force of those joints. So I would suggest, don't overdo it.

spikeabc
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spikeabc
1,666 posts
Jester

i fell backwards in a chair ounce and i cracked some things for the worse...

anyway no cracking your bones isnt gonna hurt you.

pangtongshu
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pangtongshu
9,815 posts
Jester

i actually asked a doctor about this out of curiosity..he told me that basically..the worst it'll do is give you arthritis in those joints a few years earlier than when you would have them. But nothing bad like people commonly think so

tegan190
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tegan190
783 posts
Nomad

anyway no cracking your bones isnt gonna hurt you.


Erm, cracking one of many bones in the body can lead to death or paralyzing the body permanently.

If you're talking about cracking as in cracking your knuckles, you're right, it's harmless.
HahiHa
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HahiHa
8,250 posts
Regent

anyway no cracking your bones isnt gonna hurt you.

It's not the bones anyway.. what does the popping sound is gas bubbles bursting and dispersing in the tissue, slowly accumulating again over time.
AllportHD
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AllportHD
34 posts
Nomad

It's not bad for you in anyway. The cracking sound you can hear is actually just gas bubbles popping!

R2D21999
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R2D21999
18,319 posts
Treasurer

Yes that was already said in the post above you.

winmaster1
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winmaster1
637 posts
Peasant

dont like to cant even crack them

dragonball05
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dragonball05
1,717 posts
Shepherd

It's not the bones anyway.. what does the popping sound is gas bubbles bursting and dispersing in the tissue, slowly accumulating again over time.


This is what I have found to be true. And also like others said before, the only real damage that can be done is if you force a crack. Like for instance, if one of your fingers isn't cracking, do not try to force it, or you may end up putting too much stress on that joint. I crack pretty much everything, but I try not to force them, especially when I crack my back. The more important the structure the joint is on, the more careful I would say you need to be when cracking. But as long as you do that, not much is gonna happen except for forming a bad habit I supposed (which some others find annoying, but oh well :P).
Cranium80
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Cranium80
489 posts
Shepherd

the worst it'll do is give you arthritis in those joints


It doesn't give you arthritis, but over time you will get swelling in the joint (especially the fluid inside the joint) and that will lead to the same type of symptoms that you would get from arthritis. Cracking knuckles isn't especially bad for you, but is probably best avoided if you can. Cracking your neck (as I or others I know do) can be very bad for you as you can easily hyperextend the ligaments around the neck vertebrae with cause the muscles to have to work harder to keep your neck up, which leads to more tension in those joints, which makes you feel like you have to crack it again...
dragonball05
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dragonball05
1,717 posts
Shepherd

Funny, the first thing I did when I read your comment, Cranium, was crack my neck. Ah, the power of unintentional suggestion :P

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