Since childhood we have been warned of the negative effects of "snapping" your fingers, but is this true? Popular belief says that this fact can cause arthritis, and the truth is that there is still no study that determines anything against cracking your knuckles.
Why does my fingers crackle?
Let's start from the basis that your crunch occurs in the joint, which is the meeting point between two bones. In the joints of our body there is a joint capsule that protects them, and inside each of them there is a liquid called synovium that favors movement.
This liquid contains air inside it. As we crunch our fingers, the joint separates and the joint capsule space enlarges. This leads to the gases forming bubbles to fill the new space and when we force, the bubbles escape at a high speed causing the famous click we are talking about.
If you are one of those who cracks your fingers, you will have realized that you cannot repeat it next. You will have to wait more or less 15 minutes , which is how long it takes for the joints to return to their place and for the air to dissolve in the synovial fluid.
Do you know how many people crunch their fingers? Between 25 and 54% of the population does it as a nervous symptom or looking for pleasure. It should be noted that men are more likely than women.
How dangerous is it to crunch your fingers?
Should we stop doing it? Despite the fact that there are no studies that affirm that it is counterproductive to health, there are no studies that endorse any benefit beyond simple pleasure. In the world of osteopathy, cracking joints is synonymous with a bone that has been placed incorrectly; That is why they do not rule out that it is even a little healthy.
They say cracking your knuckles too much can lead to joint instability, inflammation, sprains, or arthritis; But there was a study a Californian doctor did on himself. He had been cracking his knuckles from one hand for 60 years and as a result he got nothing remarkable. His right hand was as healthy as his left.
On the other hand, another study was conducted in Detroit with the hands of people over 45 years of age. They found that 84% of the 300 people had some symptoms of hand swelling that cracked their fingers. Still, they cannot link inflammation in any way with action.
