# Help Me Stop Cracking My Knuckles **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285 "2003-08-06T06:04:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/21 "2003-08-07T06:24:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Topaz \* > **Help Me Stop Cracking My Knuckles** Hey **Topaz** , stop cracking your knuckles. You’re welcome. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![StanDup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@StanDup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StanDup)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/22 "2003-08-07T06:29:26Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by Topaz Help Me Stop Cracking My Knuckles Hey Topaz, stop cracking your knuckles. You’re welcome. Absolutely HI-Larious :rolleyes: 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/23 "2003-08-07T08:00:02Z")
Cracking knuckles and other joints are one of life’s simple pleasures. For a period I too was able to crack my jaw. There was a thread about jaw popping in GQ and I decided that jaw popping did feel good, and I hadn’t experienced any pain, but decided not to risk it. My jaw won’t pop anymore. After popping my knuckles my fingers feel more … limber, I guess. Has anyone managed to quit cracking their knuckles? Once you stop will the knuckles not crack as easily? I know that if I don’t pop my knuckles as soon as they “need” it then the pop will be louder the longer I wait. Is this true for anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/24 "2003-08-07T08:08:01Z")
Re. cracking the “little guy,” Cecil says it’s, um, bad (guys, read at your own risk): [Is it true men can suffer penile fracture?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_426.html) By the way, I think that’s one of Cecil’s funniest columns, the topic being ripe for smart-assed comments. > [@](#): > > Frequently the victim suffers the injury while kneading his member in order to reduce an erection, a technique that in my experience usually has the opposite effect. Sorry for the hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/25 "2003-08-07T08:14:06Z")
> [@](#): > > This is what happen’s if you don’t. Stare nice and hard and let it sink in… Sorry, that’s bull. Funny the myths that crop up, though: my dad (in a pissy mood) told me a few weeks ago that every time I crack a joint, I was increasing my risk for a stroke. He’s wrong, as he always is when he attempts to pass off a single paragraph he read quickly out of the corner of his eye as medical fact. (He also comes from a family of hypochondriacs.) It may be true, though, that cracking the neck wrong can pinch things and lead to stroke. > [@](#): > > otherwise I’m talking out my rear. Well… I don’t think cracking your jaw is good for you, as it means your jaw is slipping out of alignment and being dislocated. This happens to a friend of mine (unintentionally, she never cracks her jaw) and is quite painful for her. A doctor advised her not to yawn. :smack: Since we’re having a contest, 😉 I crack my toes, ankles, fingers, back, and neck, and my elbows, knees and wrists occasionally. How on Earth - not that I really want to know - would you crack your wang? There aren’t any joints or bones or anything… ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285/26 "2003-08-07T08:21:00Z")
I crack my back, it hurts if I don’t at least once a week or so. I crack my right thumb, index and middle fingers once every few hours or so because it feels good, and makes a nice loud pop. As for its causing arthritis, I highly doubt it. Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, and would probably happen even if you never popped a joint in your life. I suppose I can act as a test case, since in theory I would only get it in the knuckles of my right hand, I never crack the ones in my left. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-cracking-my-knuckles/193285.md?page=1)