When joint pain turns into constant stiffness and decreased mobility, you’ve got arthritis on your hands. Or in your elbows, knees, shoulders, wrists, and toes. But what causes arthritis?
People often think arthritis is an elderly person’s disease, but that’s not true. More than 50 million Americans live with arthritis and two-thirds of those are under the age of 65. But when you tell your little ones not to crack their knuckles are you preventing anything?
Hey, What’s Cracking?
Knuckle cracking is really the wrong name for what happens when you stretch out your joint and release gas to create air bubbles caught in the fluid between in the joint. These little bubbles collapse or pop, and that is the sound you hear.
Donald Unger, arguably the world’s most dedicated knuckle cracker, started popping his knuckles at 19 years old. His mother had warned him against it and he wanted to see if there was any truth to her warnings.
60 Years Later
Donald popped the knuckles on one hand for 60 years, and left the other as a control. His decades-long research found that he had no more arthritis in one hand than in the other. According to Donald’s research cracking or popping your knuckles has no negative effects.
Popping Your Knuckles Does Not Lead to Arthritis
According to Dr. Donald popping research, there are no ill effects of knuckle cracking. In fact, his self-directed study earned him an Ig Nobel Prize, a parody of the prestigious Nobel prize, as well as love from kids everywhere.
Mom Says “Don’t Crack ‘Em!”
I suppose this means everything we’ve heard about knuckle cracking – or rather, knuckle popping – is wrong. But would you chance cracking your knuckles? More than once a day, daily, for more than half a century? Probably not.
The name, and your parents, probably turned you off the idea. But knuckle cracking isn’t really bad, and has no data linking it to arthritis.
The word crack carries a negative connotation, but it’s time to rethink knuckle cracking. Call it what you will: cracking, popping, snapping – it isn’t bad for you. So keep on popping.
Crack on
According to 60 years of research – which is longer than most studies – popping your knuckles will not cause arthritis. Although it may gross some people out.
Just explain to them that you’re popping small bubbles in the fluid that exists in the joints between your knuckles and fingers. Then they’ll understand. And now you understand: popping your knuckles does not cause arthritis.
Source:
http://laughingsquid.com/researcher-cracks-his-knuckles-in-only-one-hand-for-over-60-years-to-see-if-he-would-get-arthritis/
Image Source: Wikimedia
