# Cracking Your Knuckles

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 7, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109 "2001-03-07T14:52:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Delila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Delila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delila)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109/1 "2001-03-07T14:52:18Z")

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What causes the popping sound of your knuckles when you crack them? Why do some people feel the urge to crack them? Is there a buildup of something? And finally, can cracking your knuckles REALLY cause arthritus?

Thanks

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109/2 "2001-03-07T15:03:50Z")

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Air. You stretch your ligaments when you crack your knuckles, and that’s not a good idea. It’s not as much fun as it is cracked up to be, but less cracked up than those idiots who persist in doing it.

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109/3 "2001-03-07T15:33:05Z")

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Nitrogen. It’s suspended in the sinovial fluids that are used by the body as a lubricant in joints. Compressing the joint bones and therefore squeezing the fluid causes the bubbles to burst, releasing the gas and making the sounds.

I’m not a doctor, but I play one frequently in dark bars and nightclubs along Christopher Street where life is seamy and knuckles get raw 😉

Cartooniverse

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**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109/4 "2001-03-07T17:23:13Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \*  
> \*\*Nitrogen. It’s suspended in the sinovial fluids that are used by the body as a lubricant in joints. Compressing the joint bones and therefore squeezing the fluid causes the bubbles to burst, releasing the gas and making the sounds.  
> \*\*

Close but not quite.

Pulling or overbending the joints causes a lessening of pressure, causing the gas in solution in your sinovial fluids to appear as bubbles. When they get big enough, they pop.

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**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2001, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knuckles/57109/5 "2001-03-07T17:38:53Z")

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[Cecil did a column on this](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_305b.html)