Try to break the habit of cracking my knuckles...help..heh

[Noriaki]

Try to break the habit of cracking my knuckles...help..heh

Okay...so here's the problem I've got the habit of cracking my knuckles. I've been told that it's a rather "gross" habit, and after reading a few things about it, it's supposedly pretty bad in the long term for your knuckles to...

So in the last few days I've been trying to not do it so much...

But after a while, it feels like pressure is building up in my knuckles or something...and they just feel really uncomfortable, and they really need a good cracking, and once I do it, they feel fine again.

Does anyone know what I mean? And what can I do besides cracking my knuckels to relieve this feeling in my fingers? Is it just a psychosematic thing? Or is it a side effect of having cracked them one to many times?

 

[ohtwell]

I would also like to know how to break this habit.

I've tried but when I get nervous I pop them without even thinking about it.


: ) Amanda

 

[Legendary]

Damn...while I was reading this I cracked my knuckles like 6 times...
Sorry to not be of any help...good luck though.

Edit: spelling

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: Noriaki
Try to break the habit of cracking my knuckles...help..heh

Okay...so here's the problem I've got the habit of cracking my knuckles. I've been told that it's a rather "gross" habit, and after reading a few things about it, it's supposedly pretty bad in the long term for your knuckles to...

So in the last few days I've been trying to not do it so much...

But after a while, it feels like pressure is building up in my knuckles or something...and they just feel really uncomfortable, and they really need a good cracking, and once I do it, they feel fine again.

Does anyone know what I mean? And what can I do besides cracking my knuckels to relieve this feeling in my fingers? Is it just a psychosematic thing? Or is it a side effect of having cracked them one to many times?

i'm going through EXACTLY what you are.

I try to stop cracking them too, but i also get that uncomfortableness after a while.

is there anything we can do to stop this?

 

[Deeko]

I crack almost every joint in my body...some people say its bad, some people say it doesn't do anything...I don't care I still do it.

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I crack almost every joint in my body...some people say its bad, some people say it doesn't do anything...I don't care I still do it.

yeah me too. i can crack:

neck
shoulders
elbows
wrists
knuckles
spine
sternum
knees
ankles
toes

sometimes it's involuntary, but I still would like to know how to stop it

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I crack almost every joint in my body...some people say its bad, some people say it doesn't do anything...I don't care I still do it.

if it didn't do anything, it wouldn't be cracking

 

[wfbberzerker]

i do it.
i dont think its bad for you, actually i think i heard its good. doesnt cause arthritus (common misconception), and i believe it relieves tension in the joints or something like that.

 

[Noriaki]

I don't think it cuases Arthritis.

It does stretch ligaments though, and it can apperently cuase your body to attempt to strengthen the bones (laying down new layers of bone) in the area of the joints, and sometimes that can cuase movement and flexiblity of the joints to reduce. And in some cases you can jagged edges of bone that can cause discomfort in the joint.

It's not arthritis though.

 

[kgraeme]

Once you've done it long enough, I don't think you can quit. It's not a habit or a psychological problem anymore. It becomes an actual physiological issue. I have a toe that "needs" to be cracked ever since I seriously jammed it some twenty years ago. I've talked to doctors about it and they all consistently say that cracking knuckles doesn't lead to medical problems.

Give it a go. See if force of will can overcome the pressure. Other than that, I don't know.

 

[Rallispec]

ME TOOO!!!

I cant stop though, no matter how hard i try!!! its just become like a reflex now, i do it without even thinking.

i wish i could stop.

 

[Noriaki]

I've talked to doctors about it and they all consistently say that cracking knuckles doesn't lead to medical problems.

Really?

That's cool....I've read a few websites (medical sites) and a magazine on the issue....

Maybe I should talk to my doctor...

I've got plenty of worse habits than cracking my knuckles...it's just my computer skills are my livelyhood so I kinda need my hands to be in good shape....but if it doesn't cause any long term problems, then I don't care so much.

Maybe I'll go talk to my doctor and ask him....I like to make any excuse I can to go see my doctor right now (every time I go, the BC government sends him so fixed fee, that costs me nothing extra, and I hate my government right now, so it's a sort of protest).

 

[yellowperil]

I crack my knuckles to loosen my fingers after writing/typing, otherwise they are too stiff. I also crack my neck by pulling my head to my shoulder. My mom goes nuts when she sees me do this

 

[kgraeme]

Yeah. They all say it's not a problem. But every time I get a new doctor I ask anyway. Sooner or later I'll get one of them to cut off my foot and put me on disability!

 

[PhaZe]

I do it alot too
=(

I always have to be thinking about it to not do it. Its hard though because of school. Like I would do it before a test or something...like a Im ready to ace this crap kind of thing
=)

 

[Noriaki]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: Deeko
I crack almost every joint in my body...some people say its bad, some people say it doesn't do anything...I don't care I still do it.

if it didn't do anything, it wouldn't be cracking

There is a fluid in your joints that has C02 gas dissolved in it, and normally the sound comes from making a low pressure area so you get a poppong from the C02 gas. Sorta like when you open a can of carbonated pop for the first time.

I'm not concerned about the sound, the C02 gets redisolved back into the fluid pretty quickly, since it has no way to escape (and until it does you can't really crack that knuckle again, unless you are actually getting other joint noise).

But the motion of doing it is stretching the joints in ways they don't go under normal circumstances, so it's stretching out the ligaments and what not in the joint. I'm just not sure if that's bad for it or not.

 

[Noriaki]

I've been reading around a bunch, and from what I can tell, Knuckle Cracking does not cause Arthritis. However, there is some evidence, that points to it as a possible cause for some joint pain later in life.

It's not arthritis, but the pain and symptoms are similar, thus leading to the misconception that Knuckle Cracking causes arthritis.

However, as far as I can tell there's never been a really conclusive study done on the subject, so the folks that:
- Have joint pain
- Do not have arthritis
- Are knuckle crackers
could have the joint pain from other causes. There is not enough evidence to draw the conclusion that there is a causal relationship.

So in conclusion, I can't really conclude anything Knuckle Cracking does not cause arthritis, but it might be a cause of other similar feeling joint pains. But on the other hand (no pun intended) it might not.



However, all that not withstanding it's kind of a bad habit, and I'd like to drop it. But like I said before my knuckles feel really uncomfortable after a while of not cracking. Anyone know what causes that, or how to get rid of it?

 

[kgraeme]

Well as you yourself said, it's a buildup of gas. I suppose you could install little vented tubes into your knuckles like they do at landfills to release methane before explosive buildup. Though I don't know which is more unattractive, cracking knuckles or vent tubes sticking out of them.