Is It Bad To Crack Your Knuckles?

Many people, young and old alike, ask the question "Is it bad to crack your knuckles?" Indeed, the negative effects of cracking your knuckles are often cited, though that isn't necessarily the case, especially regarding a possible link to arthritis.

No relationship to arthritis. According to many sources, there is no known evidence that cracking knucles can cause arthritis, as often believed. This has been confirmed by studies that have exclusively dealt with the subject of the effects of knuckle cracking. 

There are adverse effects, however. While knuckle cracking doesn't cause arthritis, it can cause negative effects that could make it bad to crack your knuckles.  According to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, a couple of medical reports associate cracking knucles to injury of the ligaments surrounding the joint or discolation of the tendons. Bringing back the formely cited study, researchers found that habitual knuckle crackers had an increased likelihood of hand swelling and lower grib strength.

An interesting and potentially entertaining medical story. One interesting story follows medical doctor Donald Unger, who for over 50 years cracked only the knuckles in his left hand. Without arthritis or any ailments in either hand, he won the lg Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009.  The award, by the way, is given to unusual ahievements in scientific research in a parody of the Nobel Prizes. 

The answer. Experts believe that cracking knuckles does not lead to arthritis. However, there are issues that are confirmed by research, which lend to the "yes" as to whether cracking one's knuckles is bad. It will be interesting to view further research on the subject, however.