Does popping knuckles cause arthritis?
On One Hand: No Direct LinkThere is no direct link between cracking your knuckles and arthritis, according to Dr. Dimitrios Pappas of the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center and Dr. Peter Bonafede of the Providence Arthritis Center. Dr. Sanjiv Naidu, professor of orthopedics at the Penn State College of Medicine, agrees. “You literally have to disrupt the joint capsule through excessive force–like a ligament injury in a knee, or ‘skier’s thumb,’ for example–to cause chronic, long-term damage,” he says.On the Other: May Cause InjuryAlthough he does not see a direct link between knuckle popping and arthritis, Dr. Pappas says knuckle popping can be related to injuries of the surrounding ligaments and dislocation of tendons. Also, those who pop their knuckles for many years have showed reduced grip strength when compared with those who do not pop their knuckles.Bottom LineWhile popping your knuckles probably doesn’t cause arthritis, it can lead to other problems, such as injury to the surroun
