# is knuckle cracking bad for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 1999, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986 "1999-10-16T22:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 1999, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/1 "1999-10-16T22:20:00Z")
i want to get the SD on this… thanks! * * * Chief’s Domain - [http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi](http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi) ---
**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 1999, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/2 "1999-10-16T22:46:00Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_305b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_305b.html) ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 1999, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/3 "1999-10-16T22:49:00Z")
I can SWEAR that Cecil took this one on already… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 1999, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/4 "1999-10-16T22:51:00Z")
And that would be the link. Thank you, Undead Dude… ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 1999, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/5 "1999-10-17T02:12:00Z")
Just read Cecil’s answer on this - I’m interested because it’s a habit of mine too. I see no date on Cecil’s answer, which surprises me – I mean, I know Cecil is brilliant and knows everything, but if his response is, say, 10 years old, there is quite possibly new info on the topic. A few years ago, I read of a study that indicated knuckle cracking helps avoid arthritis. My mother had arthritis in her fingers; no signs of it in mine. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 1999, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/6 "1999-10-17T05:18:00Z")
Sycorax: Well, you have to consider that you and your mom, while I’m sure are very nice people, don’t mean much in terms of a scientific study because a sample size of two people doesn’t lend much credibility. I’m pretty sure that in the last ten years, much work on knuckle cracking have been by-passed foolishly in lieu of AIDS and Cancer research, and the like. Damn researchers need to know their priorities! By the way, after rereading thism is seems I went from sarcastic humor into some asshole territory, which was not my intent, but I’m too lazy to make it any nicer… ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 1999, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/7 "1999-10-17T15:23:00Z")
Cecil says it is Cheif. Note, I consider myself lucky that I can no longer hear people doing that. ALong with gum smacking. ---
**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 1999, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/8 "1999-10-17T21:03:00Z")
Sycorax, I thought I had a clever way to answer your question. But it didn’t really work. ☹ I noticed that you can find columns under [www.straightdope.com/columns/yymmdd.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/yymmdd.html) With a little unix scripting, I scanned through backwards for every week and looked for the pattern “knuckle”. All I found was that Cecil liked to use the term “knuckle-head” in '95. Darn. I guess that means that the article is fairly old. I found articles this way all the way back to 940506, so mebbe it is older than that. ---
**Author:** ![tipiwoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6bbea6/32.png) [@tipiwoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tipiwoo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/9 "1999-10-18T01:48:00Z")
well, I don’t know how reliable a source he is, but Bill Nye the Science Guy says cracking your knuckles is bad. Why crack them anyway? A lot of people I know say they do it because it makes their fingers feel better, but when I asked, none of them remember their fingers ever hurting before they started cracking them. hmm… maybe just a coincidence, but it sounds awful, and in my opinion is unneccessary. that is why I don’t like it. Plus, if there is any evidence against it, I would just rather avoid it than be sorry 30 years from now. 🙂 * * * tipi 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/10 "1999-10-18T02:25:00Z")
I didn’t mean to imply that my experience proved anything - I was really questioning Cecil’s response when we didn’t know how old it was. I agree there are higher priorities for scientists, but I know that while AIDS research is going on,independent researchers and universities are getting grant money for all kinds of dumb-ass studies. As for why we crack our knuckles - no the fingers don’t hurt before I crack them; I don’t recall how I got into it, but they feel “looser” afterward. It’s a habit, I guess; why do people bite their fingernails. Oh, BTW, I don’t do it in the presence of others - I’m sure it can be annoying (not to mention quite unlady-like). ---
**Author:** ![timmar68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@timmar68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timmar68)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/11 "1999-10-18T03:28:00Z")
I crack my knuckles and if I don’t they can actually hurt, but mostly I crack them because I have a very uncomfortable sensation if I don’t. I asked my doctor about it and he said that it’s not bad for you. All it is, is cracking air bubbles. Some people build up more than others and you are merely relieving pressure. * * * MaryAnn Sometimes life is so great you just gotta muss up your hair and quack like a duck! ---
**Author:** ![Lawrence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Lawrence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lawrence)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-knuckle-cracking-bad-for-you/3986/12 "1999-10-19T01:23:00Z")
If I don’t crack my knuckles my fingers and toes feel tight. When they start feeling tight, I crack them. I try to avoid doing it in public, though I’ve never met anyone very offended by it. By the way, I get a lot of decibel action off my big toe. I bet you squeamish ones can hear it now…here goes…