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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is the cracking sound when I crack my knuckles and back?

    Related Topics
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    What is the cracking sound when I crack my knuckles and back?
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  • Dr Ryan Hislop

    Chiropractor

    Ryan Hislop is the Clinical Director at the Orange Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre. As an experienced and evidence-based diagnostician, Ryan works largely by medical … View Profile

    Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch apart a joint, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. 

    By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume, this in turn causes a decrease in pressure. As the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.

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  • Anonymous

    Does this result in arthritis? Like if i crack my back or knuckles too much?

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  • Dr Ryan Hislop

    Chiropractor

    Ryan Hislop is the Clinical Director at the Orange Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre. As an experienced and evidence-based diagnostician, Ryan works largely by medical … View Profile

    A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, examined 300 knuckle crackers for evidence of joint damage. The results failed to show anyconnection between joint cracking and arthritis; however, those cracking their knuckles on a regular occasion did show signs of other types of damage, including soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. 

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