Knuckle Cracking

Hello! Knuckle crackin, my daughter doesnt do it and can not stand it when I fire a round of knuckles at her, I have been poppin knuckles is what we called it for my entire life and my hands are very strong and I am 43 so... wouldnt worrie about it maybe she will out grow it maybe she will be doing it for the rest of her life?

Agree with the others - I can't find any correlation between the habit and any detrimental medical conditions.

Here's what WebMD says:
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/joint-cracking-...

I've always been a knuckle cracker, and hips, and ankles, and neck, and knees, and on and on. Though I do have arthritis, it is NOT in any of those areas.

I honestly can't tell you how to get her to stop it - it's probably a stress reducer for her. In my case, pressure builds in my joints, and cracking/popping them provides instant (although not permanent) relief.

I have been a knuckle cracker all of my life, despite my parents constant request for me to stop. I am 41 and have no problems with my hands. I now crack my neck too, with no problems in the neck. It is like an urge to do it, as you would naturally scratch an itch.

I have a cousin who has cracked his knuckles, neck and back since he was little 6. He's 40 now and no problems so far. He also said that it was a form of relaxation for him that when he was little people viewed it as an annoyance but that he found that it settled his nerves when he did that.

There is no conclusive link between knuckle cracking and arthritis, although there is some evidence that it can be associated with ligament injury: http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/arthritis-news/2007/knuc...

That being said, I have no real advice for you. I'm a habitual joint cracker (not just my knuckles). I am perfectly healthy; my joints are fine. I feel, in the spectrum of bad habits, this one isn't *that* bad, although maybe it bothers other people more than it bothers me.

Both my daughters do that, they are 10 and 14. It is very annoying but I asked the doctor about it when we were there for something else, and he said it doesn't do any harm. I tell them to stop while they are doing it and tell them not to do it at school or in front of other adults, and I think that helps. I think they will grow out of it - I also did it when I was young and had a friend that did it constantly and she has stopped.

Relax :) it does absolutely NOTHING to the joints... Been proven

I have popped my fingers, toes & neck since I was little. It does not cause arthritis(learned that from a Dr) just can cause some swelling of the joints. I'm almost 36 and have no repercussions from it. I really don't know how to stop it-I had an aunt who would slap me over the head everytime she heard me do it and that didn't stop me.

No proof that it is harmful. Sounds like a stress reducing mechanism to me, like biting nails or chewing on pencils. Have you assessed how much stress she is under? Have you asked? Does she want to stop? If she doesn't then I don't see how you can unless you want to start battling over it. I suggest with preteens you pick your battles carefully. If you are really worried about any possible damage, consult a doctor and have the doctor discuss the possibly consequences. One last thought, is your daughter a person that has to do everything perfectly or in a certain sequence all the time? If yes, she might have a mild form of OCD.

Your right that it's not good for her joints. I used to do it too when I was around her age. My mom told me it would cause arthritis when I got older. Not sure if it's really true, but I do have it in fingers and hands. Maybe just a coincidence but it's painful and I wish I had never started that habit.