What REALLY happens if you regularly crack your knuckles
- Replies 5
Some people crack their knuckle joints out of habit, either to release some tension or to deal with nervous energy. I personally do this too on the regular. For me, cracking my knuckles makes my hand feel “looser” or more relaxed. Plus, I find the “popping” sound they make quite satisfying.
However, not everyone feels the same. Some are annoyed by the sound of a knuckle cracking, while others think that it is harmful and will damage their bones and muscles in the long run. In fact, I have had plenty of people tell me I will develop arthritis in the future because of my habit.
But what does actually happen to our hands when we crack our knuckles?
Here, an Australian scientist weighs in on the topic.
A gas bubble in your joints “pops” when you crack your knuckles. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto.
On his official page on TikTok, he made a video busting one of the biggest misconceptions people have about knuckle cracking. Turns out, cracking your knuckles regularly will not lead to arthritis. Currently, there are no studies that hold strong evidence to back up the claim.
However, he also warned that even though this habit is relatively harmless to the person, it can cause a major issue later in life. Dr Karl said that regularly cracking your knuckles will weaken your grip strength by up to an astounding 75 per cent.
Meaning, knuckle crackers may notice that it’s getting harder and harder to open a jar later in life.
Uh oh…
In the video clip, Dr Karl explained that when a person pulls their finger to crack their joint, they’re making the joint space bigger. The “cracking” sound is made when the ligaments get sucked in and a gas bubble forms and pops.
He also referenced a study that involved one doctor who cracked the joints of his left hand for 50 years, while his right-hand joints remained untouched.
“At the end, there was no difference in arthritis between his left and right hands. But one person is not an adequate sample size,” he said.
He followed with a second research study, this time, involving a group of 300 people who cracked their knuckles on both hands for almost 35 years. He observed that similar to the first study, these people also had no extra cases of arthritis.
But he observed that their grip strength was lessened to about “one-quarter of what it should have been”.
“So there’s no strong evidence that cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis. However, it could make it difficult to unscrew a jar of Vegemite.”
Based on the comments of his video, which has now managed to gain over 585,000 views, his findings were not far off the mark, with plenty of knuckle-crackers confirming that they had lesser grip strength than before.
Many users, both men and women, echoed that they are having problems opening jars. A 49-year-old who regularly cracks their knuckles even admitted that it’s “too late” for him now.
Thankfully, Dr Karl responded to one of the comments, asking if there was anything he could do to get back his grip strength. “Regular hand exercises will increase your hand strength,” he said.
To get those hand joints moving, try these little exercises and stretches!
Credit: AskDoctorJo.
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it’s so true. I did it growing up and I have major troubles opening jars etc. Too late now
I wished I could have read this years ago but being a kid I most likely would have ignored such advice
