Knuckle Cracking

[Amarok]

I'm not sure if this is the proper section to post in, but since it directly relates to using a keyboard and other input devices I think it will fit.

Has anyone who regularly cracked their knuckles for years stopping doing it and noticed a significant benefit? I've cracked my knuckles for as long as I can remember and now if I don't crack them they start to ache. There's a wealth of information on the internet saying that knuckle cracking is harmless and others saying it's destroying your hands.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

[JaccoW]

Personally I believe the version that says cracking is just popping air. Though I hardly ever crack my knuckles and mostly crack my elbows and wrists. But the same seems to apply to these; I can only do it once in a while and I can't do it during summer, only when it's cold.

[rayuki]

Cracked them multiple times daily for like 15 years and no problems. But yeah it doesnt ache if I don't they just feel 'tight'

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

[alaricljs]

If I don't crack certain of my knuckles long enough it gets to the point where they crack automatically just from my using the finger normally.

[SmallFry]

I personally crack my neck on habit. I don't have any problems... yet. I really think that everyone is just all worried for nothing.

[m00nshake]

I don't think there's any problem with it except it feels great. I used to pop my knuckles, stopped for sometime, now they won't even pop anymore. Still pop my neck though.

[damorgue]

I stopped doing it on purpose. I ahve to do it in the morning for the elbows  and sometimes other joints to stretch out.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I crack my back, neck, knuckles, knees, ankles, and toes almost every day.  I do it almost religiously.  Every day I have to crack my neck and knuckles, and then I feel so much better when I do.  I think the whole "cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis" is an old wive's tale, personally...

Is it bad if when I crack my neck it sounds like someone is making popcorn?

[sordna]

I've been cracking knuckles and wrists and I have aches in these areas now, so I now think it's a harmful habit. If I do it too often in a day, the aches get worse. It's certainly not "air", come on, how much air is inside our fingers that would cause so much noise? Clearly with many of these movements some heavy stress and friction is exerted on the joints.
If you can't break the habit, at least doing it in moderation (no more than once or twice a day) is probably a good idea.

[tjcaustin]

Cracked them multiple times daily for like 15 years and no problems. But yeah it doesnt ache if I don't they just feel 'tight'

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

Same for me.  Typing is a little more sluggish and my hands just don't move right.  I crackle and it's like a tension spring is released.

[dorkvader]

I crack my knuckles a lot, but not all the time. Sometimes I'll go a while (Days?) without doing it. My finger have over 200 degrees of flexibility, and demonstrating that cracks them.

I crack some uncommon joints, shoulder (when driving), and where the clavicle meets the sternum (though I can't do that one often). I can also partially dislocate my sholuders.
--
To be honest, my knuckles poke out a lot, but that might be because of my odd hand structure (or gonotics, both my brothers don't, and their knuckles stick out a little too) than popping joints.

Anyone pop the joins on one hand? I wonder if it makes a difference for them when typing.

[Piro]

I crack my knuckles, but mainly because if I don't, the joints feel weird somehow, as if they simply need to be cracked, rather than out of some habit. Hard to explain, but I'm sure others have had the same experience.

[tp4tissue]

wow, this seems like a circle jerk of knuckle cracklers..

I think knuckle crackling is similar to acupuncture, the slight pain releases endorphins and desensitizes the sensors that causes persistent pain.

Rest assure, the pain will come back if whatever caused it in the first place continues to occur.


Now, onto whatever caused the pain in the first place, well that's obvious, since none of us was designed for 8 hours of computer sitting in front of a computer.

[Piro]

8 hours? Damn, I spend longer than that a day, but anyway, I agree with that part, but the cause being that? Not so much - I'm pretty sure people have been cracking knuckles before computers were ever around

[tp4tissue]

8 hours? Damn, I spend longer than that a day, but anyway, I agree with that part, but the cause being that? Not so much - I'm pretty sure people have been cracking knuckles before computers were ever around

No i don't mean the knuckle crackling is the cause of the pain.. I'm saying improper use of the "body" in general.

In concordance with your theory, people have also been doing things like "sitting" for eight hours a day in the distant past.

[Krogenar]

I asked a chiropractor about this once, and pointed out that it does make my fingers feel 'better'. He said that whenever your 'crack' a joint it releases endorphins of some kind. But he also said that moving the joints out of place will also create this pleasurable feeling, so... crack at your own risk. My wife looks at my index fingers (which curve away from each other alarmingly) and swears that it's a result of my finger cracking.

Who knows. I think the cause of brain freeze might have a higher precedence.

[imersa]

I crack upper and lower finger joints at least 3-4 times a day. I was always told off by my parents if they heard ... hopefully its more a tale than anything !

[Amarok]

I spoke with a chiropractor once about cracking joints in general and he seemed reluctant to give me a definite answer. One of the things he told me was bending your joints past their natural stopping point can stretch your tendons and leave you with less strength in that joint that before, but only if you do this over and over.

He did mention that the actual "crack" is just a release of gas from the point and is harmless in itself. So maybe the method of cracking is what can be actually be damaging, which could help explain why there are so many different opinions, since there are countless ways to get a joint to crack.

I've been making an effort to stop cracking my neck recently and I can usually go half the day or so before I can't stand the stiffness anymore and have to crack it.

[Krogenar]

I spoke with a chiropractor once about cracking joints in general and he seemed reluctant to give me a definite answer.

Exactly! My chiropractor (perhaps realizing that what he does is essentially 'cracking' people's joints) just said that 'cracking' any joint feels good, regardless of whether the 'cracking' (they call it 'adjusting') puts the joint back into alignment or out of alignment. So we're not all amateur chiropractors when we crack our knuckles. We could be putting our fingers (or necks) out of alignment or into alignment and either way it's going to feel like an improvement. But it isn't necessarily an improvement.

Chiropractors! Bunch of quacks!

(Just a joke, chiropractors are good people.)

[longweight]

I spoke with a chiropractor once about cracking joints in general and he seemed reluctant to give me a definite answer.

Exactly! My chiropractor (perhaps realizing that what he does is essentially 'cracking' people's joints) just said that 'cracking' any joint feels good, regardless of whether the 'cracking' (they call it 'adjusting') puts the joint back into alignment or out of alignment. So we're not all amateur chiropractors when we crack our knuckles. We could be putting our fingers (or necks) out of alignment or into alignment and either way it's going to feel like an improvement. But it isn't necessarily an improvement.

Chiropractors! Bunch of quacks!

(Just a joke, chiropractors are good people.)

They might be good people but they are still quacks.

[Flare03]

Yeah, I crack my knucles a lot too and yeah I find that if I don't crack them for a while it feels really stiff, like uhh if I was a robot and my joints needed oil in them to move properly...sorta

[Appeac]

I spoke with a chiropractor once about cracking joints in general and he seemed reluctant to give me a definite answer.

Exactly! My chiropractor (perhaps realizing that what he does is essentially 'cracking' people's joints) just said that 'cracking' any joint feels good, regardless of whether the 'cracking' (they call it 'adjusting') puts the joint back into alignment or out of alignment. So we're not all amateur chiropractors when we crack our knuckles. We could be putting our fingers (or necks) out of alignment or into alignment and either way it's going to feel like an improvement. But it isn't necessarily an improvement.

Chiropractors! Bunch of quacks!

(Just a joke, chiropractors are good people.)

They might be good people but they are still quacks.

Depends on how much they say their services help. I like massages and adjustments because they feel good, and the people I get them from agree that they are not healers, nor are there mysterious energies within the body that modern science has yet to unlock.

[SmallFry]

^ Yep. I agree. Also, we have similar boards! Is your Leo black or white?

[Appeac]

^ Yep. I agree. Also, we have similar boards! Is your Leo black or white?

It's definitely black. They can be fraternal twins.

[SmallFry]

Lol. I love mine in white. Gets some better looks that way.

[MissMurd3r84]

I crack my knuckles a lot.. just did it after I saw this thread¯\(°_o)/¯.
My wrists crack themselves a lot when I bend them, so do my knees.

[tp4tissue]

I asked a chiropractor about this once, and pointed out that it does make my fingers feel 'better'. He said that whenever your 'crack' a joint it releases endorphins of some kind. But he also said that moving the joints out of place will also create this pleasurable feeling, so... crack at your own risk. My wife looks at my index fingers (which curve away from each other alarmingly) and swears that it's a result of my finger cracking.

Who knows. I think the cause of brain freeze might have a higher precedence.

What? but we Know exactly what causes brain freeze. Because the cold fluid/ slush going down your throat absorbs heat from the arteries that supply your brain,

[tp4tissue]

I crack my knuckles a lot.. just did it after I saw this thread¯\(°_o)/¯.
My wrists crack themselves a lot when I bend them, so do my knees.

you're gonna die, get help

[tp4tissue]

I spoke with a chiropractor once about cracking joints in general and he seemed reluctant to give me a definite answer.

Exactly! My chiropractor (perhaps realizing that what he does is essentially 'cracking' people's joints) just said that 'cracking' any joint feels good, regardless of whether the 'cracking' (they call it 'adjusting') puts the joint back into alignment or out of alignment. So we're not all amateur chiropractors when we crack our knuckles. We could be putting our fingers (or necks) out of alignment or into alignment and either way it's going to feel like an improvement. But it isn't necessarily an improvement.

Chiropractors! Bunch of quacks!

(Just a joke, chiropractors are good people.)

They might be good people but they are still quacks.

Yea dude, chiropractors are "not" medical doctors. Almost all of them will utter something along the lines of "i'll CURE you" There's no such thing.

Same goes for acupuncture, EPIC quacks...

[harrison]

i crack EVERYTHING, and frequently.  knuckles, neck, shoulders, back (upper, mid, and lower), hips, knees, ankles and toes.  i was actively attending a chiropractor from about the age for 4 through my late teens... now i go about 2-3 times a year as i feel i need it.

i did at one point try and stop, but found it more frustrating and felt tension and aches in my joints within about 2-3 days.  i didn't see a point in not doing it, and have experienced nothing adverse from doing so.

[Appeac]

What? but we Know exactly what causes brain freeze. Because the cold fluid/ slush going down your throat absorbs heat from the arteries that supply your brain,

I thought the prevailing hypothesis was that nerves were being either 'numbed" or "overstimulated" and the feeling is them "waking up" or "coming back down" similar to your leg falling asleep.

Yea dude, chiropractors are "not" medical doctors. Almost all of them will utter something along the lines of "i'll CURE you" There's no such thing.

Same goes for acupuncture, EPIC quacks...

I met a yoga instructor that thought that yoga cured cancer. Doesn't mean stretching isn't good for you. find one that knows science and you'll findthey're much easier to get along with.

[tp4tissue]

What? but we Know exactly what causes brain freeze. Because the cold fluid/ slush going down your throat absorbs heat from the arteries that supply your brain,

I thought the prevailing hypothesis was that nerves were being either 'numbed" or "overstimulated" and the feeling is them "waking up" or "coming back down" similar to your leg falling asleep.

Yea dude, chiropractors are "not" medical doctors. Almost all of them will utter something along the lines of "i'll CURE you" There's no such thing.

Same goes for acupuncture, EPIC quacks...

I met a yoga instructor that thought that yoga cured cancer. Doesn't mean stretching isn't good for you. find one that knows science and you'll findthey're much easier to get along with.

What?  Oh you're talking about the Nerve stuff, yea, jury is still out on that, I though you were talking about where the freeze happens.

And if chiropractors were as good as you give them credit for, they'd be "DOCTORS" , but that doesn't seem to be the case 

[JustCallMeCrash]

They might be good people but they are still quacks.

Hear, hear!  Nothing but glorified physical therapists at best, insured ducks at worst.

[neeb]

I regularly crack my knuckles and my back and they always feel better after I do. For me I kind of go by "listen to your body" if something doesn't feel quite right and feels better after cracking, i think it's fine

[Rinsaku]

Ive cracked everything for about 10 years, and i dont notice anything, my thumb get sore sometimes if i get a good pop but i dunno xD

[esoomenona]

.

[Bry]

I go to town on my wrists, neck, back, ankles, fingers, and whatever I can make go POP.

It's fine.

[WhiteFireDragon]

I crack my finger knuckles all the time and everything was fine... until one day my whole arm just fell off.

[Amarok]

I crack my finger knuckles all the time and everything was fine... until one day my whole arm just fell off.

A risk one must be willing to take for that satisfying pop.

[fohat.digs]

I crack my knuckles maybe once every 2-3 days. My "bad" knee cracks, on its own, 20 times a year, and 90% of the time I wish it didn't. The other 10% I am glad that it did.

My wife works for the Arthritis Foundation (editor of their magazine, Arthritis Today). There is no complete agreement amongst the "authorities" which are revolving panels of specialists who answer the questions members submit, so the Foundation does not make any firm recommendation.

Bottom line: probably OK although probably not "good" (depending on how you define "good" as short-term or long-term).

The "pop" we hear is air bubbles trapped in the joints. To be there in the first place, and/or to get released, probably means that there is some play or looseness in the ligaments. Looseness in the ligaments is not generally a good thing, and stretching them regularly can only make them looser.

So, be careful and remember the ancient saying amongst doctors: "First, Do No Harm"

Crack if you have to, but don't if you don't.

[vbrenny]

I feel the need to crack every knuckle before starting my typing routine in the morning. It's like stretching everything that is still half asleep.

On my last job, we had laboral gymnastics (or whatever the right term is) and all of the physiotherapists who oriented it said it was nothing but an 'extreme' stretch. Nowadays, I feel like I need it.

[rowdy]

My knuckles don't crack, which I am quite pleased about as I wince heavily every time I hear someone else crack theirs.

[emptythecache]

I do my knuckles, toes (when I have my shoes off), back, and neck. My neck is often so loud it provokes terrified looks from my coworkers.

[Sifo]

I crack fingers at the knuckles and the other smaller joint, wrists, crack my thumbs back, each toe twice, all the other toes, waist and back, neck, and knees. That's my full routine lol

[Lanx]

chiropractors are not MD's but fall into "alternative medicine", which basically means they'll do "something" charge you money and we hope that our brain "fixes" it. Are they quacks? well they probably provide a service, ppl feeling good after a good "crack" session then not so much anymore sounds like endorphins, heck it sounds like a drug dealer.

it's no different than acupuncture, hot air cup things, and those silly ppl who wear those magnet bracelets.

[NKRO]

Same goes for acupuncture, EPIC quacks...

Actually, acupuncture has scientific validation behind it, unlike chiropractic and many other "alternative" treatments.

The thing is though, the "ancient chinese" nonsense associated with it, and things like meridians and acupuncture points are quackery.

But it's been validated that using acupuncture needles near the area causing pain does provide measurable benefits.

Studies have shown that there is no difference in effectiveness between someone trained in ancient chinese acupuncture techniques, and an unskilled person sticking needles in the general area, but the treatments are effective in reducing chronic pain. (claims of treating anything else are quackery though)

chiropractors are not MD's but fall into "alternative medicine", which basically means they'll do "something" charge you money and we hope that our brain "fixes" it. Are they quacks? well they probably provide a service, ppl feeling good after a good "crack" session then not so much anymore sounds like endorphins, heck it sounds like a drug dealer.

it's no different than acupuncture, hot air cup things, and those silly ppl who wear those magnet bracelets.

Chiropractic is potentially very dangerous with some of the manipulations they perform. I would not let anyone I know see a chiropractor.

[tcv]

I've cracked my knuckles since I can remember.

There's never been any change if I did it or didn't do it.

[fohat.digs]

Eastern medicine is totally different from Western medicine.

I do not understand it, but it has proven (at least partially) successful for thousands of years, so I would not call it quackery.

PS - my father was a doctor and I have spent my life around American medicine. the system is hopelessly broken but the science isn't.

[NKRO]

Eastern medicine is totally different from Western medicine.

I do not understand it, but it has proven (at least partially) successful for thousands of years, so I would not call it quackery.

It's pretty much all been through scientific testing. The stuff that works is called medicine. The stuff that doesn't is quackery. "Ancient Chinese" whatever or "Eastern medicine" is no different from old wives tales.

[davkol]

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