• Question: if you click your joints in your fingers, will you get arthritis?

    Asked by cheesepuffqueen to Austin, Kirsty, Nicola, Nike, Sarah on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Kirsty Ross

      Kirsty Ross answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      There is no evidence that clicking your fingers, or any other joints, makes you more likely to develop osteoarthritis. A joint is formed where the ends of two bones come together. The ends of the two bones are covered by articular cartilage. The cartilage is surrounded by what is called the joint capsule. Inside the joint capsule, there is synovial fluid which serves as a lubricant for the joint and also as a source of nutrients for the cells that maintain the joint cartilage.

      Synovial fluid contains dissolved gases — oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When you crack your knuckles or when pressure is applied to a joint, the pressure inside the joint capsule expands but the expansion is limited by how much synovial fluid is contained in the joint. Synovial fluid cannot expand unless pressure inside the joint capsule drops and the dissolved gases can escape out of the fluid. The cracking sound comes from the gases rapidly being released from the fluid. There was a medical doctor who clicked the fingers on only one hand for 60 years and didn’t get arthritis in either hand!

    • Photo: Austin Elliott

      Austin Elliott answered on 20 Jun 2012:

      I used to click my fingers when I was young, so I’m relieved to hear that, Kirsty!

      I do get a touch of arthritis in my hands now and again. I’ve usually attributed this to a lot of ‘close quarter’ work with my hands (like fiddling with small bits of microscopes) over the years. Is that a myth too, or is there something to it?

Comments

  • Photo: Kirsty

    Kirsty commented on :

    You can get short term arthritis that flares every now and again. I actually get a similar thing in my thumbs if I’ve been pipetting lots or playing on the playstation for too long. I recommend the ARUK website for more info.