Episode Details

You might’ve been told by parents, teachers, colleagues, friends of friends to stop cracking your knuckles because it will give you arthritis.

There’s a surprising amount of science going on when you crack a joint, and it suggests there’s very little risk of harming your bones.

But as Norman and Tegan explain, there is one major risk – you could irritate everybody around you.

References:

• Mathematical Model for the Sounds Produced by Knuckle Cracking | Scientific Reports
• Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?
• The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking
• Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function
• There might not be anything wrong with your creaky joints - the Health Report
• Misophonia: When sounds really do make you "crazy" - Harvard Health