Fact or Fiction: Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis?

The plea is a common one: “Stop cracking your knuckles!” \nWhether it be from a parent concerned the habit might cause arthritis or simply from an annoyed friend, those who frequently crack have most likely been asked to stop. \nHowever, knuckle crackers of the world can relax. Although the popping sound might annoy neighbors, experts say the effects stop there. \n“It does not cause arthritis,” said Dr. Narcisa German, who practices internal medicine and rheumatology at Internal Medicine Associates in Bloomington. “It can be detrimental in patients with hypermobility syndrome (double jointedness) because it can make the joints get too loose, but that is all.”\nGerman said she has no idea how the idea that cracking one’s knuckles leads to arthritis originated. \n“It’s just a legend,” she said. \nIU Health Center Medical Director, Dr. Diana Ebling, also said no scientific evidence to backs up the myth.\n“Some studies have shown it can lower grip strength, but that’s inconclusive,” Ebling said. \nInstead, she offered the true factors that may contribute to arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, can be caused by genetics, joint injury and overuse.\n“Stress over the years causes joints to wear out,” Ebling said.\nA less common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, which is an immune disease, Ebling said. \nSo what causes that popping sound emitted when one cracks a knuckle?\nDr. Brian Murer, a chiropractic doctor at Orthopedics of Southern Indiana in Bloomington, explained that around every joint there is a capsule, and when one moves the knuckle front to back, the space of the capsule is expanded. The capsule is like a container that holds fluid, which contains nitrogen gas. \n“The noise you’re hearing is gas expanding to fill the space that’s gotten bigger,” Murer said. “Why you can’t hear the noise back-to-back is because it takes about 20 minutes for the gas to go back into the fluid.”\nThat noise could be the motivation for people to denounce knuckle cracking, Ebling said.\n“I think mothers like to put fear in their children and tell them ‘don’t do that’ because they don’t like the way it sounds,” Ebling said.\nWhile there is no evidence backing up the long-standing myth, it still holds strong for many. Freshman Miriam Nelson said it is still difficult for her to disregard what she long believed.\n“I saw (that it didn’t cause arthritis) on MTV News one time, but in the back of my mind I still kind of think it does,” she said. \nThose who allow themselves to believe the experts, however, can keep cracking without concern.