12-22-2011 at 6:57 PM

Tiger, thanks, you gave me the idea to ask. :3 I will be sure to ask a doctor or something... :D

12-22-2011 at 4:42 PM

My orthopedist and chiropractor and podiatrist have all said that me cracking my fingers and toes will not affect me later in life. It's just a coincidence that many people that have arthritis in their hands later in life were knuckle crackers, that there are many more people that did their whole life and do not have it.

12-22-2011 at 8:08 AM

You're welcome. :) I'm -terrible- about cracking my neck, so this was a big concern to me. (I still can't stop doing it really, but I try!)

12-22-2011 at 7:37 AM

HD, thanks.... that really affected it, I will try to stop! :D

12-22-2011 at 7:33 AM

Be careful when it comes to cracking your neck though. My father did this often and at age 60 one of the nerves in his neck managed to get between the discs and get "pinched." He had to have surgery to correct it.<br /> <br /> <i>"SUMMARY: If you often crack or pop your neck yourself, it probably means that the joints are hypermobile. The ligaments are a bit lax so the joints move a little more than they should. In response, the muscles tighten up to stabilize the joints. This makes your neck feel tight and makes you want to crack it. When you do that, the muscles are momentarily stretched, they relax somewhat, and you feel better for a while. But when you crack your neck you also stretch the loose ligaments further which makes the muscles tighten up again. It’s a vicious cycle."</i> - <a href="http://www.spinegroup.com/Advice/NkCrk.html">More Info from source</a><br /> <br /> As for popping fingers...<br /> <br /> <i>"To understand what happens when you "crack" your knuckles, or any other joint, first you need a little background about the nature of the joints of the body. The type of joints that you can most easily "pop" or "crack" are the diarthrodial joints. These are your most typical joints. They consist of two bones that contact each other at their cartilage surfaces; the cartilage surfaces are surrounded by a joint capsule. Inside the joint capsule is a lubricant, known as synovial fluid, which also serves as a source of nutrients for the cells that maintain the joint cartilage. In addition, the synovial fluid contains dissolved gases, including oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide."</i><br /> <br /> <i>"A common, related question is, Does popping a joint cause any damage? There are actually few scientific data available on this topic. One study found no correlation between knuckle cracking and osteoarthritis in the finger joints. Another study, however, showed that repetitive knuckle cracking may affect the soft tissue surrounding the joint. Also, the habit tends to cause an increase in hand swelling and a decrease in the grip strength of the hand."</i> Both from <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-makes-the-sound-when">source</a>.

12-22-2011 at 7:20 AM

Okay, thanks!

12-22-2011 at 3:17 AM

As long as you don't role your neck, I heard it's fine<br /> <br /> Cracking your knuckles (Heard this from my mom, she's a nurse) can lead to early arthritis apparently.

12-21-2011 at 9:46 PM

I understand what you're asking about, and as a knuckle cracker(it started as a nervous habit) my knuckles are the same size now as they were when I was 20.<br /> <br /> As for cracking your neck, that is all a chiropractor is doing when they do an adjustment on any part of your body.<br /> <br /> I feel the belief that this is not good is more an old wives tale than truth.