Hundreds of millions of people crack the knuckles on daily bases, but why aren’t they afraid of arthritis?
Whether it was your mother or your elementary school teacher who caught you snapping fingers, they always said that “cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis”. Well, no it doesn’t.
There has been no scientific evidence ever to prove a correlation between cracking knuckles and arthritis.
Let's hope you have #Oreo cookies and milk at homehttps://t.co/zBzqllcoGm#Food #Dessert #Snack
— The Life Pile (@thelifepile) August 14, 2018
Actually, you’re never really cracking them, but more like popping. Yes, as in popping bubbles. When you stretch or bend your knuckles, your simply bursting small bubbles inside your synovial fluid, a lubricant found in joints that reduces friction between bones.
Gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen dissolve into the synovial fluid, and when you “crack” one of your joints, you’re just relieving the pressure and release some of that gas.
Another word for cracking knuckles could be joint farts, because that’s basically what you’re doing.
We discover new things in our own bodies every dayhttps://t.co/s2xVxnsnOV #Neuroscience #Neurology #Science
— The Life Pile (@thelifepile) August 28, 2018
The reason cracking knuckles feels good is because you’re stretching. Just like when stretching any body part, it stimulates your nerve endings, giving you that numbness for a split second.
Now that you know, feel free to crack away. But if you start experiencing pain, it is best that you consult a doctor. It may not be arthritis, but it could be a symptom of something else.
