Is clicking you fingers harmful?

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by BloodSuckingGerbile, Aug 13, 2002.

  1. BloodSuckingGerbile Master of Puppets Registered Senior Member

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    Is clicking your finger (or any other) joints harmful?

    I read that the clicking sound is caused by escaping CO<sub>2</sub>, so I conclude it's not.

    Or is it? :bugeye:
     
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  3. Firefly Registered Senior Member

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    I hate the habit, and I believe strongly that it is harmful, though I don't have a shred of proof.

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    I yell at people when they do it (or forcibly stop them!) and would never do it myself.
     
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  5. Lesion42 Deranged Hermit Registered Senior Member

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    It is harmful, as it creates an gas bubble in between your joints, stretching the tendons a little. Over time this leads to early arthritis.
     
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  7. BloodSuckingGerbile Master of Puppets Registered Senior Member

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    I've been clickin' for over 6 years now...

    Looks like I'm going to get early arthritis. Yay!



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    P.S. How early?
     
  8. NenarTronian Teenaged Transhumanist Registered Senior Member

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    1,083
    I also "click" or "crack" very often - about 3x in ten minutes. Fingers, knuckles, neck, back. Harmful, disgusting, yes, but i'm addicting, i tried going cold turkey once - i started twtiching (yes, really)

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  9.          Reign Mack Registered Senior Member

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    I have to click or my joints feel stiff all day especially my lower back.
     
  10. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    19,083
    when I'm warming up every day it is inevitable.
    I strech and move all my body parts and then the cracking is frequently heard.
     
  11.          Reign Mack Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah Me too , and I spoke to me Dr he said that its a very old fashioned Idea to just leave your joints stiff, and can lead to more injury if you dont stretch them.
     
  12. bbcboy Recovering christian Registered Senior Member

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    Spoke to one of the orthopedic surgeons here at work who says that there's no evidence of joint cracking causing any lasting damage and it is indeed just the expulsion of gas build up in the joint.

    Regular stretching exercises will stretch the muscle and tendon surrounding most joints to a degree where thay are more flexible.This will not stop the build up of gas but the cracking should be less frequent.

     
  13. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    bbcboy, your sig is fantastic

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    from where does it come?
     
  14. bbcboy Recovering christian Registered Senior Member

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    The larger sig is from a song called Little earthquakes By Tori Amos from the album of the same name.

    the other is the same artist but I can't remember the name of the song If you PM me as a reminder I'll dig it out and get back to ya. It's about a dying relationship and sung from the perspective of the one who wants it to live. another line is

    "And I know that I have been driven like the snow, but this is cooling faster than I can"

    In fact as I write I think it may be called cooling but she mainly sings it live so I'm not too sure.

    She fackin ace mate!!

    Little earthquakes is the best album to start with but you, as I, may need to listen to it about six times before you get it (Her lyrics can be a little extreme)

    Happy listening and now back to the plot......
     
  15. %BlueSoulRobot% Copyright! Copyright!! Registered Senior Member

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    2,294
    I can only crack my knuckles if I punch something...and my hip cracks sometimes...my knees don't exactly crack, but I feel my kneecap shifiting around...I "crack" my jaws to relieve ear pressure after swimming, but that doesn't really count...*wanders off*

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  16. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    the cracking quite increased after 18

    I think I get old

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  17. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

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    I've only recently been able to crack my knuckles. It started when I started work. Maybe it is stress related or something.
     
  18.          Reign Mack Registered Senior Member

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    I never new that your culture had jobs Thor. Is there a high employmet rate on the Asgard home world. Or are you all in the Military trying to fight off the replicators?
     
  19. Frieda Registered Senior Member

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    where does the gas come from? how does it build up?
     
  20. Backslash777 Unknown Registered Senior Member

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    Avatar, I am glad to see you still posting; what an asset you have become to this site.

    Popping your knuckles or clicking your fingers is not as bad as you may think. The usual argument is that it causes arthritis but research shows this not to be the case. Like anything when done to excess, other types of damage may occur with such things as stretching of the surrounding ligaments and a decrease in grip strength.
    The sound is produced in the joint when bubbles burst in the Synovial fluid surrounding the joint.
    The gas itself is always there but dissolved in the thick clear Synovial fluid. When you pull the joint you decrease the pressure therefore reduce the amount of gas the liquid can hold. This is called cavitation and is the same thing as what causes the bends or bubbles to appear from nowhere when you open a bottle of pop; a decrease in pressure reduces the amount of gas the liquid can hold.
    After a pop the gas should take half an hour to re-dissolve again so, until this happens, you will not be able to repeat the noise in that joint no matter how hard you try!
     
  21. Backslash777 Unknown Registered Senior Member

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    RE: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=10108

    Avatar, I am glad to see you still posting; what an asset you have become to this site.

    Popping your knuckles or clicking your fingers is not as bad as you may think. The usual argument is that it causes arthritis but research shows this not to be the case. Like anything when done to excess, other types of damage may occur with such things as stretching of the surrounding ligaments and a decrease in grip strength.
    The sound is produced in the joint when bubbles burst in the Synovial fluid surrounding the joint.
    The gas itself is always there but dissolved in the thick clear Synovial fluid. When you pull the joint you decrease the pressure therefore reduce the amount of gas the liquid can hold. This is called cavitation and is the same thing as what causes the bends or bubbles to appear from nowhere when you open a bottle of pop; a decrease in pressure reduces the amount of gas the liquid can hold.
    After a pop the gas should take half an hour to re-dissolve again so, until this happens, you will not be able to repeat the noise in that joint no matter how hard you try!
     
  22. valich Registered Senior Member

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    3,501
    I'm intriqued! Damage caused from clicking must also depend on how much effort you put into it and how constantly you do it. You'd probably get calluses first.

    Backslash777: Profound answer. Do you also know why your foot falls asleep? When I sit on a chair while computering I sometimes put my leg under my other. When it falls asleep it's paralyzed and I can barely move - can't feel a thing for a few minutes. Any idea why doc?
     
  23. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    Falls asleep? ha! It's because the blood circulation stops. With one leg you pressed on other's blood-vessels.

    I'm glad to see you, Backslash777, still operational too.

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