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Cracking knuckles is generally not harmful and does not cause arthritis, but excessive cracking can lead to weaker grip and swelling. The sound is caused by gas bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid between the joints. Delicate cracking is recommended, and any pain should be addressed by a doctor.
Most experts agree that it’s probably not harmful to crack your knuckles occasionally. There is no evidence that it causes arthritis or increases the likelihood of this condition developing. When done aggressively, cracking your knuckles — or any other joint — can damage the ligaments and tendons that hold the joint together, but this usually heals on its own. Studies have shown that people who crack their knuckles regularly may experience some swelling in their hands and a weaker grip.
Why do knuckles pop?
When you crack your knuckles, the cracking you hear is usually a gas bubble that bursts between the knuckle joints. The bones, ligaments, and tendons of the joint are surrounded by a thick fluid called synovial fluid. Over time, this synovial fluid fills with tiny gas bubbles. When you push or pull the joints, the tendons and ligaments stretch and the bones in the knuckles separate slightly.
Synovial fluid tries to fill this gap, and the trapped gas bubbles combine to form one large bubble. This blister opens to make room for the sudden flow of synovial fluid into a capsule between the knuckle joints. This buildup of gas is not harmful to the body unless it is released through cracked knuckles. However, breaking the joint releases the pressure that has built up, which can make the fingers feel looser and more mobile. It takes 25 to 30 minutes for the gas to build up again; during that time, you can’t break the joint again.
In some cases, you may also feel movement of ligaments and tendons in the joint. The tendons can be pushed slightly out of position when you crack your knuckles and you can sometimes hear a pop as they snap back into place. Ligaments can also make noise as they tighten and stretch.
When crack is bad
While medical studies don’t show a link between cracked knuckles and arthritis, there is some evidence that doing it too much can cause a loss of grip strength or swelling around the joints. When you crack your knuckles, or any other joint in your body, you are putting unnatural pressure on your tendons and bones; for a long time, the body’s tissues do not recover from such manipulations as they used to. This can create the same types of joint pain that professional athletes experience after years of throwing a football or baseball.
If you’re too hard on your knuckles, you can damage the ligaments and tendons in the joint. It’s rare to get seriously injured like this, but it can happen. The cracking of the knuckles must be done delicately and never forced. If you feel pain, you should stop immediately.
Pain in or around the joints
If your knuckles or other joints hurt when they break, it could be a sign of a more serious condition. While knuckle cracking doesn’t seem to cause osteoarthritis, if you hear a grinding noise in your joints, it could be a symptom of this degenerative disease. Pain, accompanied by a sudden burst, could mean a tendon tear. Very loose or painful joints may have some other type of internal damage. Anytime you experience pain in a joint, you should talk to your doctor to get a full diagnosis.
