Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad For Your Joints?

Seunga (Jasmine) Han, PharmD Candidate

“Cracking Your Knuckles Is Bad for You:” Truth, or Wive’s Tale?

Cracking knuckles is a common, everyday habit reported by almost half of the population in North America. Chances are, you probably know someone with their own little routine of cracking just about every joint in their fingers. Some may find this peculiar habit satisfying, while others find it gross, but the debate remains whether or not this quirky habit is bad for your hands. In today’s article, we’ll discover the effects of cracking your knuckles on your joints.

Does It Cause Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis and other conditions that affect the functioning of the hand are one of many major concerns associated with cracking knuckles. This common belief stems from a study that showed that the amount of force to crack a knuckle is more than enough to damage cartilage, which protects the bones from grinding on one another.² It was also believed that the formation and collapse of air bubbles in the process of cracking knuckles might lead to gradual thinning of the cartilage.² Despite this concern, however, recent studies have not found any association between cracking knuckles and osteoarthritis.^1-3 Moreover, “habitual knuckle cracking” was not associated with reduced handgrip strength or overall hand function, unlike what was suggested in older studies.^1-5

Would It Cause Thickening of My Joints?

In many studies, there was a concern that cracking knuckles may be associated with thickening or swelling of the joints, specifically the metacarpal head cartilage (where your fingers connect to your hands).⁴ However; there were no swelling or changes in appearance observed in individuals who cracked their knuckles on a daily basis.¹

The Bottom Line

So does this mean you can continue to do crack your knuckles? Based on current evidence, cracking your knuckles does not seem to have any significant negative impact on your hands. However, future studies are still required to examine the long-term effects associated with “habitual knuckle cracking.”¹

We hope you took away something valuable from this piece. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this article or others, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, Facebook, or at ask@orbishealth.ca with your feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

RESOURCES

1. Boutin R, Netto A, Nakamura D, Bateni C, Szabo R, Chaudhari A, et al. “Knuckle Cracking”: Can Blinded Observers Detect Changes with Physical Examination and Sonography?. Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research [serial on the Internet]. (2017, Apr), [cited April 9, 2018]; 475(4): 1265-1271. Available from: CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
2. DeWeber K, Olszewski M, Ortolano R. Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis. Journal Of The American Board Of Family Medicine [serial on the Internet]. (2011, Mar 1), [cited April 9, 2018]; 24(2): 169-174. Available from: Scopus®.
3. Swezey R, Swezey S. The consequences of habitual knuckle cracking. Western Journal Of Medicine [serial on the Internet]. (1975, Jan 1), [cited April 9, 2018]; 122(5): 377-379. Available from: Scopus®.
4. Yildizgören M, Ekiz T, Nizamogullari S, Turhanoglu A, Guler H, Özçakar L, et al. Original article: Effects of habitual knuckle cracking on metacarpal cartilage thickness and grip strength. Hand Surgery And Rehabilitation [serial on the Internet]. (2017, Feb 1), [cited April 9, 2018]; 3641-43. Available from: ScienceDirect.
5. DeWeber K, Olszewski M, Ortolano R. Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis. Journal Of The American Board Of Family Medicine [serial on the Internet]. (2011, Mar 1), [cited April 9, 2018]; 24(2): 169-174. Available from: Scopus®.