Is It Bad to Crack Your Knuckles? Benefits & Risks

Is it bad to crack your knuckles?  Are there benefits or risks to cracking your knuckles?

Can you get arthritis from cracking your knuckles?  Is what your mother told you true or just a myth?

The answers may surprise you.

Is it Bad to Crack your Knuckles?

Watch this video to find out:

Cracking your Knuckles will not cause Osteoarthritis

Several studies have been done on the incidence of arthritis in people who habitually crack their knuckles and people who do not.

The research shows that there is no difference, and cracking your knuckles will not cause arthritis in your fingers.  However, the risks discovered among those who did crack their knuckles as a habit included hand swelling and decreased grip strength.  It is possible that overall your hand function could decrease.

This may be due to the laxity in the ligaments that can occur with frequent daily cracking of your knuckles.  Soft tissue damage may result.

What are the Benefits to Cracking your Knuckles, if any?

For most people, cracking your knuckles seems to be a habit they have developed.  So what is the benefit, if any?

A positive side effect to cracking your knuckles is increased mobility in the joints after popping.  Additionally, the muscles around the joints cracked become more relaxed.

However, the risks of cracking your knuckles on a daily basis several times a day as a form of habit far outweighs the benefits.

Since it is Bad to Crack your Knuckles, What can you do to Stop?

Dr. Mercola, from Mercola.com, discusses a method to stop called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

This technique is a self-help method to managing stress, which may be the cause for habitual cracking of your knuckles.  Once you are able to manage the emotional stressor by either reducing or removing it, you can achieve balance within and healthier behaviors will result.

Wil & Kirsten Liwanag, D.C.

[email protected]

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