Whenever I would crack my fingers around my parents they would always tell me to stop cracking my knuckles because I’ll “develop arthritis if I don’t.” At first I believed them, because they were my parents, but after doing research on my own I was able to find the answer.

While cracking your knuckles may be aggravating to the people around you, it most likely will not cause you to develop the disease. An article in the Harvard Health Publications explains the “pop” sound come from “bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid — the fluid that helps lubricate joints.”  Because arthritis primarily affects only the joints in our bodies, and the “pop” noise happens in the synovial fluid (not the joints), I can conclude that arthritis does not develop from cracking your knuckles.

“Click” “Clack”

Some people crack their knuckles out of boredom, or from habit, and some people do it because they say it relieves pain and gives more flexibility of your fingers. Personally I do it out of boredom, but I am trying to break the habit. Although it may seem like an innocent bad habit, cracking your knuckles can cause slight problems for you down the road. A Medical News article goes into some of the consequences of it. For example, they say that it can cause a weaker hand grip and some hand swelling. Furthermore some studies show that it can cause damage to the ligaments that are surrounding the joints.

Cracking your knuckles isn’t the worst possible thing you can do to your body. If anything you probably shouldn’t do it out of respect to the people around you because some people hate the sound of the “pop.” It can be as cringe-worthy as listening to someone scratch their snails on a chalkboard.