Cracking my Knuckles!

There is absolutely no link between the size of your knuckles and the fact that you crack them. None. Zero. Your knuckles are getting bigger because everything on you is getting bigger. That is to say – you’re still growing, and not cracking your knuckles isn’t going to stop that.

There is also no link between arthritis and knuckle cracking. None. Zero. Arthritis is a genetic degenerative condition involving the tissues in the joints that pad the ends of your bones to keep them from rubbing together. Knuckle cracking occurs when you stretch your joints, increasing the volume of space inside and causing the dissolved gases inside the synovial fluid to rapidly form bubbles. In about 30 minutes, the gas redissolves in the fluid, causing no permanent damage.

The only concrete side effect that has been proven to go hand in hand (ha!) with knuckle cracking is slightly decreased grip strength thanks to the constant stretching of the connective tissues, but this is after decades of cracking and is never reported as severe in any case.

To sum up – keep cracking is you want to, because the things you’re worried about happening have nothing to do with it. If you want your fingers to be smaller, look into hand transplants, because otherwise, you’re stuck with what you’ve got.