What makes the noise when you crack your fingers/necks/back/toes etc?

[Hoeboy]

It's difficult when you crack your finger/neck/back/toes etc for years and you try to stop. But what exactly is making that cracking noises? Any real bad long term side effects besides maybe arthritis? I also notice that although cracking your neck relieves some tension at the moment, it tends to give u frequent neck aches later on. Same goes with the back.

 

[jAcKeL]

When you press on the knuckle, you create a low-pressure area within the fluid that surrounds the joint to keep the bone from slipping out of place... This pressure change draws CO2 into a bubble that breaks almost instantly... making the popping noise... it takes a while for another bit of CO2 to dissolve into the low-pressure area... which is why u can't crack the same knuckle repeatedly in rapid succession unless ur some kind of freak

recent studies say that its virtually harmless... who the heck knows

 

[sookaa]

you have gas pockets in your joints...when you 'crack' your knuckle you are compressing and then releasing this gas


and it goes 'pop'

sookaa

 

[shiznut123]

im so stupid, i thought it was the bone cracking(literally). im so stupid

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

That's what I've heard too. Your actually releasing gas under pressure.
I'm not a medic though.

 

[HomerSapien]

Sometimes, its a ligament getting caught on the bone. Those frickin hurt like hell.

 

[HomerSapien]

Jackal....It greatly increases the risk of arthritis in that area. So in a sense, it is harmful.

 

[unclebud]

that's what i heard too

 

[goog40]

I read in magazine about the fluid thing. I thik that arthritis talk is BS though, and I am a freak I can crack my big toe repeatedly nonstop

 

[jAcKeL]

tru there is no solid proof either way about the relationship between arthritis and cracking ur knuckles... but y take the chance i guess
what has been shown though is that ppl that have cracked their knuckles habitually have a lower gripping power... so if ur REALLY into opening bottles of mayo and stuff, don't crack ur knuckles

and btw i can crack my thumb nonstop too... ur not alone, FREAK!!!

 

[nippyjun]

When you crack your neck violently by snapping it rapidly from side to side you loosen up the ligaments between the vertebra and can cause instability. I heard about a case where someone had a stroke from cracking their neck from cutting off the blood supply to the brain temporarily. The neck is a very bad thing to crack. Even if it feels good don't do it. It feels good because you are stretching the muscles, not because of the gas pressure released.

 

[Nutcase99]

It's gas cause I asked my chiropracter one day when he was cracking my neck and I said " Why do joint crack?" He said "Because there is a NO2 (I think that was it) gas that gets built up and it gets released."

 

[HomerSapien]

I have worked in a hand surgeons office for 6 years and been around doctors all of my life and they generally say the same that it increases the risk of getting arthritis, but is not necessarily a cause of it.

Goog, im a freak too, my big left toe can pop repeatedly as well cause i broke it a few years ago.

 

[Dameon]

Well, my two cents:

After being rear-ended in a car accident a few years ago, I get awful stiffness in my neck, and it cracks just by turning my head. :Q No hands, no pushing. Just turning... sometimes it even pops loudly. But it's the only way to make the pressure go away, besides muscle relaxants, which make you pee. I don't enjoy it at all... unfortunately there's nothing chiropractors can do for me. Folks, take care of your back and neck... they do NOT heal well at all.

 

[CliffC]

It's my understanding that it is Nitrogen built up in the cartilage around the joints. Saw it on some medical show. It was also said that there has never been a connection to arthritis from releasing it.