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Clicking / Cracking your joints.

Jub

10:00 / 20.03.06

What's the deal with "clicking" your joints? I crack my knuckles all the time to choruses of "you'll get arthritus" from the people on my pod. Is there are scientific reason for this, or is it hooey? Chiropractic practices make a job out of clicking joints, so what's that about? ?! Are they trying to give people arthritus?

Overall, I click a lot of my joints when I'm warming up or stretching, including, my back, my elbows, my knuckles, my toes, and my neck. Assuming it is bad for you, how can you stop clicking? I mean, is there any way to stop this happening?

So, what do you click and are you bothered about it?

Billuccho!

12:10 / 20.03.06

The arthritis thing is hooey. I crack all my bones.

Billuccho!

12:15 / 20.03.06

Well, okay, so I nearly popped my jaw off once, but that's totally different. Heh.

As far as knuckles go, I'm cracking them right now and have been all my life. If anything, I'll probably get carpal tunnel from typing this, instead.

matthew.

12:35 / 20.03.06

I crack everything. Especially my neck. I find that I have to crack it quite often. I also crack the knuckles and sometimes they ache a little. I once asked my doctor about it, and he responded that even if arthritis is "hooey," there is still the risk of damage to the joints that isn't arthritis.

Joint Crackers Community

Axolotl

17:34 / 20.03.06

I started cracking my knuckles recently and did some research. I believe there has been no causal link proved between joint cracking and arthritis, though people who crack their knuckles do generally have an increased chance of developing arthritis, though that may be because knuckle cracking happens more often in manual workers.
I love cracking my knuckles. It pleases me on both a mental level as preperation for doing some work and on a physical level - I like the way I have to manipulate my fingers to get them to crack. I wish I could crack my neck.
However, though it is very unconsistent of me, I don't like it when I stand up and my knees crack.
I know it does really annoy some people though, any non-crackers out there care to share their views?

Jack Denfeld

17:38 / 20.03.06

I like to crack my knuckles right before I'm about to fight the main bad guy. Like right before we start fighting I like to crack my knuckles and then crack my neck, like I'm sayin', "Let's do this!".

Axolotl

18:12 / 20.03.06

That's what knuckle cracking is for. Course those of us who don't live the kingly life of adventure and fisticuffs just get to do it before less exciting tasks: "big pile of filing, you're going down!" or "your arse is mine, dull and meaningless paperwork". but, y'know, psychologically it's the same.

Lilly Nowhere Late

19:31 / 20.03.06

Ah, barbelith timing. I was just being told off today for cracking which I start at the neck, work down my spine, hit knuckles, then hips and if I'm lucky, my ankles. I think it's just splendid.

■

22:13 / 20.03.06

The only bits of me that crack tend to be bits I know are already stressed, so I think it's one of those things where folk wisdom has it the wrong way round, that is that they're the places that are likely to become arthritic anyway or possibly already are. My mouse fingers crack easily, as does my neck and right knee, all of which I've known to be knacked for a while. My lower back is beginning to do it regularly, too, after an episode where it was mightily screwed.
Ahh, just enjoy the feeling of release it gives you and make like Gary Oldman.

akira

07:46 / 21.03.06

My right knee cracks when I walk upstairs, but doesnt on the way down, and I crack my fingers all the time. I do not believe there is a connection.

wembley can change in 28 days

10:10 / 21.03.06

akira, that's probably not a nice crack; it's more like your kneecap is slightly out of joint, which causes wear and tear on the cartilage and bones involved. Patello-femoral syndrome, and I've got it bad in both knees.

Sometimes when I wake up I can crack my collarbone by moving my shoulders forwards and backwards. My ankles have been cracking all weird-like lately, and I now freaking LOVE it when my osteopath goes all crackwhore on my spine and neck.

Lilly Nowhere Late

12:22 / 21.03.06

Will someone please open a "cutting edge" chiropractic/osteopathy clinic called Crack Whores?
On my street. Fast!

Spyder Todd 2008

19:18 / 21.03.06

I crack my neck at least once a day in both directions, pop my spine 3-4 times a day, and do my knuckles at least once a week. Also, my left ankle and one of my toes can be popped at anytime, no matter how much I've already popped it. It's odd.

astrojax69

22:28 / 21.03.06

i also crack my bones, usually my neck and back, at least once a day. and knuckles often. my jaw also cracks and shoulder sometimes. knees creak, but that's prob'ly diff'rent...

it releases nitrogen trapped in the joint, apparently. does not cause arthritis. friends hate the sound, i love to do it. and i 'have' to do it when i'm stiff and locked up - mere stretching of the muscles around don't get it.

C-R-A-A-A-C-K!!

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