Is popping your knuckles bad?

As a chiropractor, I get asked all the time, “Is it bad to pop your knuckles?” Commonly, the person asking is the mother of a teenager who is looking for an “I told you so" moment.

First off, what is the “pop”? Is it your bones cracking? No, it’s actually the bursting or collapsing of a gas bubble in the space between your joints. These bubbles refill every 20-30 minutes and can be re-popped.

But can popping your knuckles cause arthritis?

“Does Knuckle Cracking Lead To Arthritis of the Fingers?” was a study published in 1998 by D L Unger in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. “For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously.” Fifty years and a few x-rays later, Unger stated: “There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands.” His analysis showed that “there is no apparent relationship between knuckle cracking and the subsequent development of arthritis of the fingers.”

Popping your knuckles is not linked to arthritis, but can it be harmful in other ways?

The answer is yes. Knuckle popping has been linked to hand strength weakness and finger dislocation. The 1990 study "Effect of Habitual Knuckle Cracking On Hand Function" by Jorge Castellanos and David Axelrod found that knuckle cracking led to "functional hand impairment."

Conclusion

Is it bad to crack your knuckles? Surprisingly, it is not related to arthritis but has been linked to hand weakness and some instances of finger dislocation. As a chiropractor, I would tell my patients to avoid cracking their knuckles due to the weakness associated with it.

Unger DL. Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers? Arthritis Rheum. 1998 May;41(5):949-50. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199805)41:5<949::AID-ART36>3.0.CO;2-3. PMID: 9588755.

Castellanos J, Axelrod D. Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function. Ann Rheum Dis. 1990 May;49(5):308-9. doi: 10.1136/ard.49.5.308. PMID: 2344210; PMCID: PMC1004074.