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Subscribe to RSSWe ask a lot of weird questions here at The Body Odd. But so do you! Here's our answer to one of your latest queries. Got an inquiring mind? Head over to our Facebook page and ask us your oddest health, medical or human behavior question. We may answer it in an upcoming post.
Today's question: Why is cracking my knuckles so addictive?
The pop! pop! pop! of each cracked knuckle is so sweetly satisfying to you. But it's slowly driving everyone around you completely nuts. You don't remember when you started it, but you can't seem to make yourself stop. Why? "There’s not any hard science to explain why it’s so addictive, but certainly people speculate it’s one of these activities that releases nervous energy," says Dr. Rachel Vreeman, assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine and co-author of "Don't Cross Your Eyes ... They'll Get Stuck That Way!"
Some people twirl their hair, some people jiggle their foot up and down -- and some people pop their knuckles. "Many people who do it believe that it feels good," Vreeman says. "They find it to feel good or comfortable, or it even gives them some physical release."
We should note that when you "crack" your knuckles -- you're not actually cracking anything. "That sound you hear is synovial fluid vapor cavities -- or gas bubbles -- in the fluid around your joints. With certain amounts of pressure you can make those bubbles burst." She's making it sound like popping bubble wrap -- no wonder both activities are equally satisfying.
And, no, cracking your knuckles won't give you arthritis, despite wild rumors you may read on the Internet. Vreeman says in studies of hand function in adults both with and without arthritis, those with arthritis weren't any likelier to be knuckle-crackers. In other words, she says "It doesn’t seem like you’re likely to get arthritis because of your annoying knuckle cracking."
Still, habitual knuckle-popping might lead to some hand discomfort, including swelling, reduced hand strength and even some finger or joint injuries. So, how do you knock it off?
"Certain things that make you more likely to break your bad habit: coming up with a clear plan. Having some accountability. Telling other people about it," Vreeman says. "From weight loss literature we find that people do better with modifying their eating habits by keeping records -- so keep some record throughout the day how many times a day you did it.
"We also know from sort of the science of habits that it takes ... 28 days to form a habit," Vreeman explains, "so to form an opposite habit probably takes at least that long."
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Leave a Comment:
I felt the need to crack my knuckles while reading this article. And I did. (I'm one of those habitual crackers, and this just made me want to crack, you know, like when you see someone yawn...)
Glad I'm not the only one. :P
me too!
Me three!
Me four.... Darnit! lol
I'm not even a habitual cracker, but the urge was irresistable.
I AM NOT A CRACKER! (lol)
It's contagious.
Why is picking my nose so addictive? Is it really because picking it releases nervous energy, or are the boogers a minor anoyance that I feel better being without?
I crack my knuckles because they hurt less when I crack them. I have been told I even crack them in my sleep. I started doing it when I was in my early teens, because it makes my hands feel better.
Me, too. I feel pain and stiffness in my hands if I don't. I wish I could stop because my wife hates it, but the pain just builds and builds until I give in and do it. Any advice on how to ease that pain? I could probably stop if I could do that. I also started in my teens and most of the time I'm not even aware I'm doing it.
BinNH, assuming your hand pain isn't caused by repetitive hand activity like typing, mouse-clicking or long-term use of power tools that cause a lot of vibration (tendonitis and/or carpal tunnel), you might be feeling the onset of gout, a type of arthritis. Gout for more people starts in the big toes but can start in the hands also. This means your body is becoming too acidic and uric acid crystals are being deposited into your hand joints. You need to try to cut down on eating acidifying foods (esp. meat and soda) and eat more alkalizing foods (raw vegetables and fruits). This way, the body will be able to dissolve the uric acid crystals from the joints and you won't feel so much pain after that. If your gout gets worse, you'll lose more and more hand/finger mobility.
Harry, I'd like to believe it, since if something is identified it can be probably treated. But no one has ever identified the source of my pain and it started nearly 50 years ago and hasn't changed much since then. But I do appreciate the response and I'll try it! Why not - nothing else has helped!
Wow, 50 years is a long time to endure such symptoms. Gout was my wild guess based on the very limited information you gave here. If you want to detail your symptoms further so we can get a better idea of what might be causing it, please feel free to contact me.
http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/natural-remedies-for-arthritis.html
I love the way it feels, I love the way it sounds. I do it all day long. Have been cracking knuckles for 30 years. Toes, back, knees and neck too.
It's definitely release of tension or sign of tension to some degree, as well as pain relief. The act of 'cracking' joints doesn't merely relieve pressure in the joints, but helps stretch the ligaments and [tense stiff] muscles surrounding the joints being cracked too. Chiropractors do this as a health-promoting activity to help prevent or relieve pinched nerves and realign the spinal column. I frequently crack my knuckles, and neck & back especially. I never cracked my toes... Tense muscles cause pain. Relaxed muscles cause no pain unless you have arthritis also, which means you have solid deposited uric acid crystals in between the joints that tear away the cartilage everytime you move those joints. Unintentionally, rarely my hip joints might pop or even my ankles. More commonly, my knees crack. The part of my body that cracks the most unintentionally is my neck. My shoulder joints pop unintentionally and so do my finger joints. I think this is a sign of stress.
I learned that in massage therapy, if the joints start popping while tense muscles are being massaged, that's a good sign -- it means that the muscles are starting to relax more.
If a person intentionally tries to crack his/her own joints, it's an attempt to relieve stress and tension in the body.
I crack my knuckles no less than a dozen times a day. To me it seems that a pressure slowly builds up to the point that I simply have to crack them. There is no pain before and no pain while cracking them - just a enjoyable and pleasurable release of pressure. Just for the record, I have been addressing the "You know you are going to make your knuckles big" comment for 40 years with the truthful response that my knuckles are the exact same size as when I was 18 years old. Notwithstanding I am a sample size of one, in 40+ years I have noticed no deliterious effects except an inability to stop, because it feels good.
I'm really glad to hear it won't cause arthritis. I was never entirely sure about that. With that being said, even if it was proven to cause arthritis, I'm not sure I could stop. Well, I could, but it would be as hard as a smoker trying to stop smoking even though we KNOW it causes cancer. Now if I acquire arthritis, I know it's unrelated to knuckle popping.
I remember exactly when I started, and it was in elementary school. It was the same year I learned to turn my eyelids inside out. kids...
I know.. I know..
i crack my knuckles and toes too! i must crack my knuckles at least 20 times a day, not kidding. yes i am a nervous wreck and that is why i load up on botox!
It relieves pain. That's the only reason I do it. I only ever feel the need when a particular joint has been strained. I used to work in a factory line during the summers when I was in school, and my hands would hurt - particularly the wrist and lowest thumb joint. They'd feel fine for awhile after popping them. Sometimes I get a pain in my foot if I run long distances on a flat terrain; I pop some joint that is mid-foot (maybe the first "knuckle" of the big toe?) and sometimes the ankle to relieve it. I also do this to my back when I've had to slouch for a long time (such as after breastfeeding). I don't think it's a habit for me personally, because I don't recall doing without a pain prompt. In fact, sometimes it is quite a bit of work figuring out how to target a certain joint for popping when it begins to hurt, but once I figure it out, it stops hurting. I don't think this research is very comprehensive.
knuckles(plus the other joints in my fingers), back, neck, wrists, knees and toes. it certainly feels like a pressure release, and feels like i have a better range of motion in my joints after popping.
I crack my knuckles. I have also noticed that I will crack them whenever I'm sitting down listening to anyone speaking or doing a presentation. Worst place to do that is in Church right as the Pastor starts his sermon.
It feels awesome and restores movement to some of my joints!
I started at age 7 when my aunt cracked her knuckles in front of me and told me it was something only adults do. (What a dumb thing to tell a kid!!) Anyway, I do it all the time and it drives my spouse nuts.
I can't stand it, sorry. Nails on a chalkboard do not bother me in the slightest, but this does. It makes me physically ill to hear people cracking joints and nothing I have tried to "get over it" has helped. I feel a sudden need to vomit every time I hear this sound, and the only way I can keep the "peace" is by putting headphones on and playing music whenever people start doing it to take my mind off of it, since they probably wouldn't appreciate/care to stop if I asked them to, even if they know it affects me.
It's true that a lot of people, maybe most, do react badly to the sound of other people's joints popping. shrugs. Maybe it's a kind of involuntary empathy. We like to think that everyone around us never suffer from stress or anxiety or other problems, but the reality is that everyone has some problem, although most hide these things. When someone's suffering is obvious, then I suppose it's perceived as ugly (painful) for external observers to perceive. sigh. It's a matter of how people prioritize aesthetics. For example, a lot of women are extremely self-conscious of their appearance so much so that some can't even go outside in public without wearing makeup and tidying their hair. I suppose for women it might be harder to deal with baldness because women rely more on illusion (cosmetics) to feel okay about themselves.
There are lots of annoying sounds in the world, such as loud laughs, atomic sneezes, fussy babies, phlegmy coughs, nasal voices... and no, they probably wouldn't appreciate/care to stop if you asked them, because it is none of your business, whether it affects you or not.
For me, it was backs. It USED to bug me, and then I saw a chiropractor and was like "Nnnrgghh this feels so much betterrr". Ever since, I've had no problem with the sound. It's odd.
Farting is a great relief for me, and at least I can honestly say, that if you smelled it, you might "just" have a reason to puke. :)
Well, I did it ALL THE TIME as a kid. I'm 63 now & have SEVERE Rhematoid Arthritis in my hands. In fact my hands are like a fist all the time......my fingers are curled & bent soo bad. SO.........all you people doing it now.......STOP.....don't listen to the STUPID study saying it won't cause RA!! BALONEY!!!!!!
Your RA is likely caused by a bad diet, which caused you to crack your knuckles in the first place. You can cure your arthritis in a few months if you're willing to try a restrictive diet: http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/natural-remedies-for-arthritis.html. You'll completely gain all your mobility back as if your body were brand new.
Rosy, listen carefully - RA is an autoimmune disease. That means, your immune system mistakes some natural, normal part of your body for an invader, and attacks it. Knuckle-cracking has NOTHING to do with autoimmune diseases. Harry's statement that it is "likely caused by a bad diet" is partially true - nutrition does have some effect on immune development and maintenance, so yes, a bad diet could increase the risk of RA - or any autoimmune disease, for that matter. There are several other contributing factors:
- Genetics: RA has a tendency to be hereditary.
- History of bacterial and/or viral infections: Overwork the immune system, and it may get confused. Untreated strep throat tends to become rheumatic fever. Guess what's next?
- Exposure to toxic metals and/or chemicals
- Smoking: Increases the risk of several autoimmune diseases. Toxic chemicals, Duh!
- Stress: Knuckle-cracking tends to relieve stress, so it could be surmised that the habit may actually reduce the risk of RA. Of course, frequent knuckle-cracking could be an indication of high stress (think about that).
Think about it: What does joint cracking do? It releases trapped gasses in the joints. You think those gasses actually belong there? Obviously not, or releasing it wouldn't relieve pain, as so many have said is their main reason for doing it. If anything, joint-cracking is actually therapeutic.
@Harry: It sounded like you said bad diet leads to knuckle-cracking. Could you please explain this, because it doesn't sound right.
I have to agree with those that stated cracking your knuckles provides physical relief. Much like stretching to relieve the tension in back muscles. I only do so here and there, but it does make my hands feel better. I do, however, have arthritis/lupus, so that may be a factor as to the discomfort.
I am a serial cracker, literally HUNDREDS of times every day and I do it in my sleep as well. I get some looks but nothing too bad...my daughter though, she's one of those creepy neck crackers... gross.
Cracking my knuckles is probably from too many fights, usually I will break as finger knuckle or hand when that happens, anyway my right ring finger and left middle finger will lock up until they are popped or just moved and they pop,releives the pain that comes alone with it. Many broke bones. both legs 14 times right arm ounce left and I don't really know how many times on ribs. Why don't they pop?
I feel like I have lost grip In my hands and when I tense them it makes me wanna laugh as they feel all soft. Its a weird feeling but i think it is down to cracking my knuckles, or using a hand held XBOX controller for many years
I have to pay my chiropractor $35 to crack my back (disc issues) and put my neck back in place, but I crack my knuckles all day, night, and also crack my ankle....my toes....good to know that I am not alone.....
I never got the habit, really never was able to crack em worth a damn to begin with. One thing I do notice, is that when I move my head around, I hear a crispy noise from my neck. No pain, but odd.