Which knuckles crack

Save time, book online. Close X. Back to Living Better Living Better newsletter. Zip Code. There are two theories that explain the popping noise, says Dr. Behr: All joints are bathed in fluid. The movement of ligaments around the joint can also cause a popping sound. Does knuckle popping really bring relief? Behr believes there is an important message that people who crack their joints should know. They may come from the kneecap rubbing on the bones below, or a tendon sliding across an irregular surface.

However, in the absence of pain, swelling, or other joint symptoms, these sounds are probably nothing to be concerned about, and there is no reliable way to silence them. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. There are several publications in pub Med that point to this. I can only imagine that the strength reduction is modest at best. Arthritis causes knuckle cracking, not the other way around. There is no medical evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis; not one study. If a young person had mild discomfort or stiffness in his hands, would he crack his knuckles to make them feel better?

Yes, he would; and he does. In my chiropractic practice, I find that young people who crack their knuckles, have early, mild arthritis.

These same young people also usually have signs, obvious to a trained physician, of arthritis in their necks and other parts of their spines.

There is nothing inherently wrong with knuckle cracking. It simply must be recognized as a probable early warning sign of arthritis, and we need to get our story straight! Will cracking knuckles for a long period of time increase the size of the actual joint? An older figure shared with me that since she had cracked the knuckles on her hands for her whole life, her hands had very large joints.

I am 74 years young and I have cracked my knuckles since I first discovered they would crack…. I have more of a concern of me cracking up mentally!!!!

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Find a Physician. Ways to Give. Pay Your Bill Online. Patient Portal. Finger Dislocation Your metacarpophalangeal joints are the knuckles, where your fingers meet the rest of your hand.