As many as 70 percent of people by age 65 have arthritis in their hands, according to Peter Bonafede, medical director of the Providence Arthritis Center at Providence Portland Medical Center. But despite what their parents may have told them, their arthritis probably wasn't caused by knuckle cracking during childhood. Like many health-related old wives' tales, the notion that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis has little basis in medical fact -- but that doesn't mean habitual knuckle cracking is a good idea.
The Facts
The sound of cracking your joints is caused by gasses in the synovial fluid that surrounds and protects your joints: when you crack your knuckles, you change the pressure in the synovial fluid, creating a bubble that pops with that characteristic cracking noise. The gasses then dissolve back into the fluid.
The Research
Though there hasn't been a lot of research into the relationship between knuckle cracking and arthritis, the existing research has not found a link, reports health writer Krisha McCoy on the University of Southern California Norris Cancer Hospital website. While some anecdotal evidence connects arthritis with extreme knuckle cracking in a few individuals, observational reports consistently conclude that there is no link between habitual knuckle cracking in childhood and the development of osteoarthritis.
The Downside
But just because cracking your knuckles probably won't cause arthritis doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it too often, warns pediatrician Howard J. Bennett in "US Kids" magazine. Over time, knuckle cracking can damage the ligaments that surround your joints. This won't cause arthritis, but it can cause short term pain -- resting your knuckles usually makes it go away -- and, if you crack your knuckles habitually over many years, it can loosen the tendons that attach your muscle to your bones so much that you'll have trouble getting a firm grip.
Considerations
If you're prone to cracking your knuckles when they feel stiff, such as after you've been writing or typing for a long time, try stretching and bending your hands and fingers rather than cracking your knuckles. You'll get a similar loosening effect without the potential for ligament damage.
