In an effort to procrastinate doing everything...okay, really simply to revise my material for next semester when I start working at hospitals (but the first one sounds less dorky D
...anyway...
In an effort to revise my material, I'm inviting each and every one of you to ask any questions you had on the human body (and mind). As long as it's medical, it can be pretty much anything- and I'll attempt to answer it as quickly as possible, hopefully off the top of my head.
Is cracking your knuckles really bad, or was it just really effing annoying to the people who made up the old wives' tales?
I'm inclined to believe the latter. There is still no evidence that cracking your knuckles is associated with any arthropathy. Then again I don't think it's been extensively studied.
Also I'm an avid knuckle cracker. And wrists, and elbows, and shoulders, and spine, and hips, and knees, and ankles, and toes...
@Strop: Same here. . .*cracks pinky toe* Another WTF question. I can do this weird thing where I create an indentation in my shoulder. I can feel the bone move slightly when I do this, and can do so on a whim. It's weird.
Some people can voluntarily sublux/dislocate joints, either because the joint capsule is loose or tendons are hypermobile. This can either be local or systemic, like if you have a connective tissue disorder (like Ehler-Danlos, but unless you can touch your toes leaning backwards, it's unlikely you have that).
Most likely think of it as being double-jointed, like some people are in their thumb. I'm not at all double-jointed, which is just as well because I'm heavily built for somebody of my ethnicity.
In an effort to "help" Strop, I'll supply some proven factual information as well, since I too am in the medical field.
As far as cracking your knuckles goes, definitely NOT and old wives tale. Cracking you knuckles, or any other joint increase the risk for arthritis at that location. On the flip side, one reason that we do it is that it's been shown cracking of joints relives pent up pressure by sending seratonin to the brain, making us feel better.
As far as cracking your knuckles goes, definitely NOT and old wives tale. Cracking you knuckles, or any other joint increase the risk for arthritis at that location
You'll have to provide evidence, i.e. a study that suggests this, otherwise I flat out don't believe you! Because I based what I said on the fact I have not seen a single study to support this claim.
But to answer mason1's question, "cracking" joints generally indicate two things: that the joint capsule is lax due to excessive movement (like in athletes), or due to degenerative problems (like in what happens to some athletes). The actual mechanism of the crack is due to the sudden creation of "air spaces" (filled with CO2) inside the joint as it moves.
Since crackly joints tend to go hand in hand with people who abuse their joints, it stands to reason that since many of the people who do abuse their joints aren't really suited for it, that cracking one's joints seems to be associated with degenerative problems (namely osteoarthritis) down the track- however as things stand no causative link has been even hinted at, let alone established.
Forgive me Strop, I misread my information. You're right, cracking your knuckles has not been directly associated with arthritis, but according to The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center:
There is no evidence that cracking knuckles causes any damage such as arthritis in the joints. However, a couple of reports in the medical literature are available associating knuckle cracking with injury of the ligaments surrounding the joint or dislocation of the tendons ( attachments of muscles to bones) which improved with conservative treatment. A study found that after many years of cracking habitual knuckle crackers may have reduced grip strength compared with people not cracking their knuckles.
So is there a side-effect to knuckle cracking? YES!
