# Cracking your knucles give you arthritis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895 "2003-12-24T19:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ice97531](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@Ice97531](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice97531)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/1 "2003-12-24T19:40:25Z")
I’ve heard this one go both ways. Whats the true answer? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/2 "2003-12-24T19:57:35Z")
From [Cecil’s article:](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_305b.html) > [@](#): > > Will cracking your knuckles cause knobbiness and arthritis, as some claim? Not necessarily; genetics undoubtedly plays a much more important role. But some clinicians believe chronic knuckle-cracking can make things worse. And it certainly doesn’t do much for your standing in civilized society. Knock it off before it’s too late. ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/3 "2003-12-24T20:25:40Z")
Strangely enough, my chiropractor assured me that there’s no risk at all to cracking your knuckles. In fact he claims its good for you, saying it puts your hands in their proper alignment. I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/4 "2003-12-24T20:59:11Z")
I am almost 75 years old and have been cracking my knuckles all my life. No problems yet, but then I am still young, so who knows what the future will bring. ---
**Author:** ![autobulb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@autobulb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/autobulb)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/5 "2003-12-25T06:20:22Z")
I always thought that arthritis was the build up of calcium in your bones when your body doesn’t know how to correctly get rid of the excess. I don’t see how cracking your knuckles would cause this. My old science teacher who was a chiropractor said it was completely untrue. He claimed to have been cracking just about every joint in his body for tens of years with no troubles at all. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/6 "2003-12-25T07:14:56Z")
I ain’t much for books and such, but I know I crack my knuckles all the time. While I wouldn’t say I have arthritis, I can most definitely say that in the cold weather, my knuckle joints hurt… arthritic like. E3 ---
**Author:** ![autobulb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@autobulb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/autobulb)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/7 "2003-12-25T07:44:01Z")
If I’m in a bone crackin’ mood and I do it often within a short period of time, my joints start to hurt. But it always goes away and only comes back with excessive cracking. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/8 "2003-12-25T09:19:00Z")
I’d side with Ice Wolf’s lift of Cecil’s advice. Wouldn’t believe raizok’s Chiropractor, or the one I see one every month. They have no science whatever, and are merely glorified masseuses IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![zabrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dbc845/32.png) [@zabrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zabrain)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-your-knucles-give-you-arthritis/220895/9 "2003-12-25T15:42:18Z")
And after years of practice I can crack every joint in my body; knuckles, wrists, elbows, hips, knees, back, neck and even though my sternum has no joints I can get it to pop as well. In fact, I can’t think of one that won’t pop or crack - it drives my wife insane, especially in bed. After years of doing this some joints hurt and some don’t. But I’ve been doing it way too long to stop now.