WHAT HAPPENS WHEN…
Will cracking my knuckles give me arthritis?
While some find it annoying, for others it’s a guilty pleasure, but will cracking your fingers damage the joints? ‘The short, but not particularly helpful, answer is “probably not!”‘ says Roy Humphries, lead physiotherapist at Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull. ‘Synovial fluid present in your joints acts as a lubricant. When you crack a joint, you stretch the joint capsule and gas is rapidly released thus emitting a popping sound.’ However, scientists remain divided on whether or not cracking your knuckles could cause long-term damage. ‘Some studies show that knuckle cracking does not cause serious harm, while others show that repetitive cracking can damage the soft tissue of the joint’, says Humphries.