Can knuckle cracking lead to serious health problems as we age ex: arthritis?!
Question:
Can knuckle cracking lead to serious health problems as we age ex: arthritis?
Two years ago I started cracking my knuckles, and now it seems my knuckles crack far to easily. How can I prevent my knuckles from becoming weaker? How do I quit?
Answers:
Likely not. I'm not saying "definitely no" because, while cracking knuckles is common, research on its effects is not. We have only a handful of studies on the subject. None shows a definite link between knuckle cracking and arthritis.
However, cracking your knuckles is neither harmless nor desirable. The arthritis connection may be an old wives' tale, but cracking your knuckles can hurt your hand in other ways, and there's no benefit to it. Some students crack their knuckles after writing a great deal, but cracking knuckles isn't a solution for writer's cramp. Instead, take a break, and bend and stretch out your fingers a few times.