Member-only story
About Barb Dalton’s knuckle-cracking article!
I was curious about what occurs in the joint!
So I checked to see what research reveals, and here is what I found:
Knuckle-cracking is a typical behavior enjoyed by many. It can become a habit or a way to deal with nervous energy. Some say it is a way to release tension.
To some folks, it is annoying & distracting.
According to https://www.health.harvard.edu/
There has been considerable debate about how the noise occurs. As it happens, this activity has been the subject of a fair amount of research.
Research findings report:
The cracking sound occurs by increasing the space between knuckle & finger joints.
It causes gas bubbles in the joint fluid to collapse or burst to create the ‘pop’ or ‘crack’ sound.
You cannot crack the same joint right away because it takes some time for the gas bubbles to accumulate again in the joint.
Is cracking knuckles harmless?
Probably, but reports of…
