Will cracking my knuckles lead to serious problems in the future?

Hmm…Do you work out regularly? I think if you loosen your muscles more you won’t feel the need as much. I used to do the same thing as you :p, but I just stretched more and exercised and didn’t feel the need as much.

But your back-aches…hmm…im not sure. See a doctor?

yea i work out, not everyday but i do. i dont stretch too much though, i will deffinitely stop doing it. and also try not to crack as much.

It turns out that it’s an old wives tale that cracking your knuckles is bad for you.
This is from wikipedia, interesting!
“A joint is any place where the ends of two bones meet. Where the bones come together they have a covering of “articular cartilage.” This is surrounded by the “joint capsule,” inside of which there is synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is the lubricant for the joint and also serves as a source of nutrients for the cells that look after the cartilage.

Synovial fluid has dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide within it. When the right pressure is applied to a joint, the area inside the joint capsule expands. However, the expansion is limited by how much synovial fluid is contained in the joint. Synovial fluid cannot expand unless pressure inside the joint capsule drops and the dissolved gases can escape out of the fluid. The cracking sound comes from the gases rapidly being released from the fluid.

There have been a few studies to see whether or not cracking knuckles caused arthritis. None have found that there was an increase of arthritis among knuckle-crackers; nevertheless, a relationship was discovered between knuckle-cracking, hand swelling and lower grip strength, damage to ligaments surrounding the joints and dislocation of tendons.

The conclusion of the studies indicated that while knuckle-cracking was not associated with arthritis, it was associated with damage to ligaments that surround the joint and dislocation of tendons. There may also be a connection with soft tissue injuries”.

Ive always heard you get authoritis and stuff if you do it, but ive done it constantly for years and my hands are fine.

@wisdomtooth wow i never knew any of that. the sound comes from gas being released? it sounds so much like bone sounds…weeird.

@wisdomtooth Thank You! I crack mine all the time and people always tell me I’m going to get arthritis. I then have to explain to them how it’s a stupid myth.

The only real consequence I’ve suffered is that I jam my fingers almost every time I play basketball.

I have been cracking my knuckles for 51 years and my fingers are still part of my hands. no arthritis. no pain. no joke.

That’s what’s always been said, but I find that’s it’s the opposite for me. If I don’t crack everything, bad things happen. Do what feels comfortable.

Ok as wisdomtooth said its to do with gases and what not between joints. A simple rule i follow is that if you can crack it once then it should be fine. If you can crack it repetitively like say once every second then i think you need to get it checked.