Scientists Have Confirmed What Really Happens When You Crack Your Knuckles



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It was first thought that the noise produced from cracking your knuckles was caused by the collapse of a bubble in the synovial fluid between the joints. This hypothesis was refuted 30 years later when another group of researchers said it made more sense that the sound came from the bubble bursting. Back in 1947, a paper was published saying that the popping sound occurred when a bubble first formed in the synovial fluid of the joint. One 1990 of 300 people did find that cracking knuckles over a long period of time led to hand swelling and decreased grip strength, but there hasn't been any follow-up research on it.


That volume is set by the amount of synovial fluid contained in the joint. Other studies show that repetitive knuckle cracking can do some damage to the soft tissue of the joint. Kawuck said in the statement that the findings have implications for new research into the therapeutic benefit -- or harm -- of cracking joints.


Scientists Have Confirmed What Really Happens When You Crack Your Knuckles - Surrounding the joint is a lubricant called the synovial fluid, which is a thick and clear liquid.


Joints produce that CRACK when bubbles burst in the fluid surrounding the joint. Joints are the meeting points of two separate , held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you're causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking. It takes about 25 to 30 minutes for the gas to redissolve into the joint fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles won't crack. Once the gas is redissolved, cavitation is once again possible, and you can start popping your knuckles again. As for the harms associated with this habit, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors' Cooperative, only one in-depth study regarding the possible detriments of knuckle popping has been published. This study, done by Raymond Brodeur and published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, examined 300 knuckle crackers for evidence of joint damage. The results revealed no apparent connection between joint cracking and ; however, habitual knuckle poppers did show signs of other types of damage, including soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. This damage is most likely a result of the rapid, repeated stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joint. A professional baseball pitcher experiences similar, although obviously heightened, effects in the various joints of his pitching arm. But assuming you haven't signed a multimillion dollar contract to constantly pop your knuckles, it hardly seems worth the possible risk to your joints. When joints are manipulated, the Golgi tendon organs a set of nerve endings involved in humans' motion sense are stimulated and the surrounding the joint are relaxed. Backs, , and all other movable joints are subject to the same kind manipulation as knuckles are.

 


Small air pockets escape quickly, and the characteristic sound occurs. There's a long-held that cracking your knuckles can give you arthritis. They ended up imaging 400 MPJ cracks, and recorded the sounds so they knew which ones came with a 'pop'. Instead, simple tapping with your fingertips is used to input kinetic energy into specific meridians on your head and chest while you think about your specific problem -- whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. Fryer's finger demonstration may help scientists better study joint problems, including arthritis and injury. He never did the same to his right-hand knuckles. In his teens, after his mother warned him the habit would give him arthritis, he started cracking his knuckles in the name of science, according to a 2009 Los Angeles Times.