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Cracking your knuckles is harmless and won't cause arthritis — here's why

Cracking your knuckles is harmless and won't cause arthritis — here's why

Sara Lindberg

When you crack your knuckles, you're forming a tiny bubble in your joints that causes that audible "crack" when it pops.
According to numerous studies, including one where a doctor cracked his knuckles every day for 60 years, habitual knuckle cracking will not increase the risk of arthritis.
Knuckle cracking also will not enlarge your finger joints, however, if you do find that your joints are getting bigger, see your doctor as this may be a sign of arthritis.
This article was medically reviewed by Velimir Petkov, DPM, a Podiatrist and board-certified wound specialist physician, practicing at Premier Podiatry.
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Your knuckle-cracking habit might be an annoyance to those around you, but popping the joints in your fingers will not harm your health.

The widespread notion that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis or makes your finger joints bigger is a myth. Here's what really happens when you crack your knuckles, and why it's not as bad as you may think.

What happens when you crack your knuckles

When you crack your knuckles you're really changing the pressure inside a fluid-filled pocket between your joints.

Your knuckles are joints, which connect two bones together with what's called a joint capsule. That capsule is filled with fluid to prevent the bones from rubbing against each other, says Jason Somogyi, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Texas Orthopedics.

When you crack your knuckles, you're pulling the bones slightly apart, which changes the pressure in the joint capsule. "This change in pressure causes the formation of a gas bubble which causes the audible crack," Somogyi says.

That's why you can't crack the same joint twice in rapid succession. You have to allow time for the gas bubbles to form in the joint before you begin popping. In general, this can take about 15 minutes.

Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?

Cracking knuckles will not cause arthritis, nor will it make your knuckles bigger. "The short term change in pressure in each joint you crack is unlikely to have any negative impact on the cartilage of the joint," Somogyi says.

Moreover, a 2011 study determined that a history of habitual knuckle-cracking was not linked to an increased risk of osteoarthritis. Of the 215 participants in the study, the percentage of those with osteoarthritis was similar between people who habitually cracked their knuckles (18 percent) and those who didn't (21 percent), suggesting that knuckle cracking was not a risk factor for osteoarthritis.

In another experiment, a doctor regularly cracked the knuckles on only his left hand for over 60 years. He then examined the progression of arthritis in both hands and found no difference in the joints.

Pay attention to these other signs

Regardless of whether you crack your knuckles or not, if you notice your knuckles are increasing in size, see a doctor because it could be a sign of arthritis, says Daniel Paull, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Easy Orthopedics.

You also shouldn't dismiss all cracks and pops from your knuckles. According to Bergin, it's important to distinguish between a high-pitched, painless pop that typically comes from the habit of cracking your knuckles and the painful crunching or grinding of arthritic or injured joints.

Painful knuckle cracking may also be a sign of "a torn ligament, cartilage or a loose piece of cartilage floating in the joint," Belgin says.

Also, if you're a habitual knuckle cracker, Bergin says you may notice that it gets harder to perform this move as you get older. That's because as we age, our joints stiffen, so the tendency or ability to pop the knuckles may diminish.

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