In childhood, your parents forbid you from doing many things. While they forbid you from playing in the soil or even eating it, at the same time they might have also forbidden you from cracking your fingers at some point. Your parents must have told you, ‘If you crack your fingers, you will get arthritis!’
This is a warning given by parents which often scares you. But has anyone ever wondered whether it is really harmful, or just an old saying? If you have not thought about it and you have been really afraid of this warning given by your parents, then this news may surprise you. In fact, Health Experts say that the truth is shocking. Doctors say that cracking fingers does not cause arthritis and the science behind this pop sound is also very interesting. Let us know.
Why do people snap their fingers?
Cracking fingers is a habit which is seen in many people. People crack their fingers to feel the looseness of their fingers for a short period of time or to enjoy the sound made by cracking them. According to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, the cracking sound comes from tiny bubbles in the synovial fluid (which provides natural grease inside your joints).
When you bend or extend your fingers, negative pressure is created inside the joint, due to which the gas bubbles present in the fluid burst. This bursting causes the pop sound. Because these gases take time to redissolve, the same finger cannot be snapped twice immediately.
Does cracking fingers cause arthritis?
The biggest question that arises from the warnings given by parents is whether cracking fingers harms joints? So the answer to this has been found from many researches done in the last few years. It has been said in those research that there is no relation between cracking fingers and arthritis.
1. Cracking your fingers too often can sometimes cause minor problems, such as minor ligament injuries or tendon dislocations, but these usually resolve on their own.
2. People who often crack their fingers may have a weak grip, but this is not arthritis.
3. In very rare cases, especially in children, thick skin may form on the joints i.e. the pads of the fingers.
What does the research say?
Many researches have clearly shown that cracking fingers does not cause arthritis. 215 people were included in a study. It was found that among those who cracked their fingers, 18.1% had arthritis, whereas among those who did not crack, this rate was 21.5%, that is, there was almost no difference between the two.
Another interesting example is that of Dr. Donald Ungar. He cracked the fingers of his left hand only twice every day for 50 years, but never on his right hand. His unique experiment, published in Arthritis and Rheumatism in 1998, showed that even after so many years, no symptoms of arthritis were visible in any of his hands.
Another study conducted in 2017 also found the same result. There was no difference in the working ability of the hands of those who cracked their fingers and those who did not.
So why does arthritis actually happen?
Now if arthritis is not caused by cracking fingers then it is very important to know why it occurs. Let us tell you, there are two types of arthritis.
Inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis), in which the joints become swollen.
Wear-and-tear arthritis (such as osteoarthritis), caused by aging or overuse.
The risk of developing arthritis may increase due to:
growing older
overweight or obese
first joint injury
someone in the family having arthritis
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