A lot of people crack their knuckles for various reasons.
They do it when they’re stressed and need to take it out on something, some like the feel of it, people do it when they’re nervous and also out of habit.
What causes the pop sound?
The noise of cracking or popping in our joints is actually nitrogen bubbles bursting in our synovial fluid.
Synovial fluid lubricates your joints, reducing friction and preserving our cartilage. The nitrogen bubbles within the synovial fluid usually take 20 minutes to re-form in your joints before they can crack again and this explains why you can crack the same knuckle twice in a row.
Technically, your knuckles shouldn’t hurt when you crack them but if they’re painful, cause swelling, or change the shape of the joint.
It’s not a bad thing to do but it can be pretty distracting to those around you and when it becomes a habit, it’s hard to stop.
If you want to break this habit;
Try to find another way to relieve stress
Be aware and conscious of each time you crack your knuckles and stop yourself.
Occupy your hands with other stress relievers, such as squeezing a stress ball or rubbing a worry stone.
We hope you’ve learnt something new today.
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