Is it dangerous to break your fingers?

finger cracking 2

Is it dangerous to break your fingers?

We all know someone who cracks and snaps their fingers. But is it dangerous to break your fingers? No, says the research. On the contrary!

Many people also think that this cracking sound can be unpleasant to listen to. Maybe that's how this claim that breaking your fingers is dangerous came about? It can well be compared to getting square eyes if you watch too much TV or the PC screen.

- Many of us who break and crunch our fingers

Do you crack and crunch your fingers and other joints? Well, you are certainly not alone. According to a research study published in the medical journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research then up to 45% of all people do this.¹ A surprising number if you ask us, but that's how it is. Among the other 55% who do not break fingers, neck, toes and other joints, we find those who claim that:

"Don't break your fingers, it can give you osteoarthritis and make the joints weak..."

We decided to take a closer look at what the research says about the matter. What do you think? Is it the case that you get joint wear and joint diseases if you drive and break your fingers? Or not? For us, it is important to establish early on that it can simply be directly good for your joints. But more about that further down in the article.

Anatomical knowledge of joints and fingers

Many of your joints, including your fingers, have small pockets of fluid inside them that allow you to move them. This liquid is called synovial fluid (synovial fluid) and therefore such joints are called synovial joints. The main function of the synovial fluid is to lubricate the joints and allow movement without the joint surfaces coming too close to each other. In other words, make sure that we get clean and nice joint mobility, without any kind of rubbing or friction.

Why do your fingers crack when you pull them?

When you pull, move or twist a joint, you increase the distance between the various joint surfaces, which leads to less pressure inside the joint and an effect we call "negative pressure". This effect causes synovial fluid to draw into the joint and creates the characteristic "crack" sound. This is known as cavitation and are actually pressure changes inside the joint itself. When the fluid draws into the joint, the sounds from that less cavitation bubbles cracks.

In the illustration above, you see what happens in a joint when we get the "crack sound" (cavitation). This therefore occurs inside the joint due to pressure changes that add more fluid.

You might be thinking that this has been proven for a long, long time? No, it hasn't. It wasn't until 2015 that a larger study proved that it is fluid that draws into the joint when you break a joint. For up to 50 years, it was believed that it was only air bubbles that burst when you pulled a joint apart, but more happens than that - and lubricating fluid therefore draws into the joint.² So you might as well break your fingers or go to the chiropractor to loosen up your back and neck, in fact researchers have compared it to "massage for the joints«.

- So it is not harmful for the joints to break the fingers?

No, it is not harmful to break fingers or joints. There is actually positive evidence that suggests the opposite, and that it actually lubricates the joints. Larger studies have proven that there is no increased risk of joint damage, osteoarthritis or joint disease among those who break their fingers and joints in the body. However, they wrote the following about finger cracking:

"However, we did find a small increase in ROM among joints that cracked compared with those that did not." (Boutin et al)

They thus showed a positive change in the finger joints after having 'broken' they. One more goal the finger breakers FK.

- And it's not like that either "can be too much cracking" and thus become "loose in the joints?"

Two large studies proved that there is no damage to cartilage and cartilage loss, ligaments, tendons or grip strength when breaking fingers. In fact, the study concluded that the cartilage and joints were stronger than among those who did not break joints and fingers.³ They also report that joint breakers experience a therapeutic relief as the fluid soaks into the joint and restores normal pressure in the joint itself. Among other things, they wrote the following:

"Habitual knuckle crackers had thicker MH cartilage in the dominant and non-dominant hands than those of the controls"

The study published in the medical journal Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation thus showed that those who regularly engaged in finger bending actually had stronger and thicker cartilage.

Summary: Good news for the finger-crunchers

So, what does this mean? Yes, that means that the crackers out there can just as well ignore employees at work, and say that such cracking does not lead to damage to the joints. On the contrary! However, we would like to point out that this does not apply to pinching in the knees and jaw, as this can stem from meniscus damage or rupture of the meniscus. Therefore, we do not recommend going around snapping your jaw and knees, but you can nicely snap and mobilize your fingers, toes and back.

Training of stiff hands and fingers (with video)

We have reached the conclusion that it is not dangerous to break your fingers. But still, is it the case that you like to break your fingers because they feel stiff? If you have pain in your fingers, there are several good exercises and measures that can help you. The video below shows chiropractor Alexander Andorff put forward a recommended exercise program for hands and fingers.

VIDEO: 7 recommended hand exercises

In the video below you can see the seven recommended exercises for hands and fingers. They can help prevent stiffness and ensure good joint mobility. Perhaps this will lead to you having less of a need to crack your fingers too? You can also train your hands using grip trainer or finger trainer. All product recommendations open in a new browser window.

Feel free to subscribe for free our Youtube channel if desired. There you will find a number of training programs and health knowledge videos. Remember that you can also contact us at Pain clinics Interdisciplinary Health if you have any questions or are wondering about something. We have several clinic departments in Norway which offers investigation, treatment and rehabilitation of all ailments in muscles, tendons, joints and nerves.

Our recommendation: Train your grip strength with a hand trainer

Said the hand trainers are very good for training grip strength. They come in different colors with different strength resistance, so that you can gradually build up your own hand strength. In addition to training the grip and the hands, they work well as "stress ball«. Read more about our recommended hand trainer here .

Sources and research

1. Boutin et al, 2017, “Knuckle Cracking”: Can Blinded Observers Detect Changes with Physical Examination and Sonography? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2017 Apr;475(4):1265-1271

2. Kawchuk et al, 2015, Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation, PLOS One.

3. Yildizgoren et al, 2017. Effects of habitual knuckle cracking on metacarpal cartilage thickness and grip strength. Journal of Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation.

Photos and credit

Illustration (cavitation): iStockPhoto (licensed use). Stock illustration ID: 1280214797 Crediting: ttsz

Also read: Osteoarthritis of the thumb

Youtube logo small- Feel free to follow the Vondtklinikkenne Vervrfaglig Helse YOUTUBE

facebook logo small- Feel free to follow the Vondtklinikkene Verrrfaglig Helse at FACEBOOK

 

Pain inside and on top of wrist by pressure

Wrist Pain - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Pain inside and on top of wrist by pressure

Events: 22 year old woman with pain inside and on the wrist when pressing. The pain is localized to the upper side and inside the wrist itself - and is particularly aggravated by pressure and compressive forces (load that presses the joint together). The pain goes beyond function and she can no longer perform functional movements (push-ups) that she has done all her life. Of note, it is noted that carrying shopping bags does not provoke the pain - this may be due to the fact that this provides better joint space due to traction (deduction).

 

Also read: - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Read This If You Have Wrist Pain

Wrist movements - Photo GetMSG

Wrist movements - Photo GetMSG

This question is asked via our free service where you can submit your problem and get a comprehensive answer.

Read more: - Send us a question or inquiry

 

Age / Gender: 22 year old woman

Current - your pain situation (supplementary about your problem, your everyday situation, disabilities and where you are in pain): I struggle with pain in my wrist. I have had pain on and off for over 1 year. At first I thought it was because I was supporting my head with my hand when I was asleep. But even though I stopped it, the pain has not disappeared. The pain is difficult to explain, but it lies in the "background" and in a way sends pressure waves / is pulsating. And when I lean on my wrist or carry things on top, the pain becomes very intense. Should I try to do push ups, something I have done all my life, then I break down so that the pain becomes too strong - but if I carry bags home from the grocery store, there is no pain at all. There are no visible signs when I am in pain - neither swelling nor color. In the beginning it was rare between each time, but lately it has been more frequent. Have now been in pain for so long that I can not remember the last time I was pain free.

Topical - pain location (where are the pains): Inside the right wrist on the upper side.

Topical - pain character (how would you describe the pain): Pulsating. Feels that it may be similar to what I feel when I know my meningitis. And when the pain is provoked it feels stinging.

How do you stay active / in training: Has been active with handball for 11 years and taekwondo for 8 years. Exercised fast over 20 hours a week plus work and school. Four years ago, it was enough and I stopped training completely. Have not put on me, but have lost weight mtp that the muscles were turned into fat. Have tried exercising a little now and then but have never done a routine of it since the desire has not been there. Have tried exercising a little differently over the past year, both with taekwondo, gym and at home, but it has not worked as the pain has become too severe. Even when working in a nursing home and in a store, some tasks have become too painful for me to do.

Previous imaging diagnostics (X-ray, MRI, CT and / or diagnostic ultrasound) - if so, where / what / when / result: Never examined the wrist.

Previous injuries / trauma / accidents - if so, where / what / when: Nothing that has had an impact on the wrist.

Previous surgery / surgery - if yes, where / what / when: Not because of the wrist.

Previous investigations / blood tests - if so, where / what / when / result: No.

Previous treatment - if so, what kind of treatment methods and results: No.

 

SVAR

Hello and thank you for your inquiry.

 

The way you describe it may sound like DeQuervain's tenosynovitt - but this will especially cause pain in that part of the wrist against the thumb. The diagnosis involves an overload and irritation of the "tunnel" around the tendons that control thumb movement. Other symptoms of DeQuervain's tenosynovitis may include pain when bending the wrist downwards, decreased grip strength and burning / spasm-like pain. One theory is that you are not in pain when you carry shopping bags due to the fact that you do not actually load this area - but then it rather stretches.

 

The damage process: Previously it was thought that DeQuervain's tenosynovitis was due to inflammation, but research (Clarke et al, 1998) showed that deceased people with this disorder showed thickening and degenerative change of the tendon fibers - and not signs of inflammation (as previously thought and as many actually believe the day today).

 

In case of prolonged pain and lack of improvement, it can be beneficial with an imaging examination - especially MRI examination. Would then recommend that you get a clinical assessment by a doctor, chiropractor or manual therapist - all of whom are state-authorized occupational groups with both referral rights and good competence in musculoskeletal, skeletal and skeletal disorders. It should also be mentioned that there are other differential diagnoses that are possible causes of your pain.

 

Exercises and self-measures: Prolonged inactivity will lead to the muscles becoming weaker and the muscle fibers becoming tighter, as well as possibly also more pain-sensitive. In order to increase blood circulation and "loosen up" in the tendon damage, it is important that you start with stretching and adapted strength exercises. Exercises aimed at carpal tunnel syndrome are considered gentle and suitable for the treatment of DeQuervain's tenosynovitis as well. You can see a selection of these here - or use the search function at the top right. Of other measures so recommended compression noise which increases blood circulation towards the affected area - it may also be relevant to sleep with support (splints) during the periods when the area is significantly irritated / bothered. Also exercises with exercise knit for shoulders is both gentle and effective - and can be a good place to start in addition to the aforementioned stretching exercises.

 

Wishing you good recovery and good luck for the future.

 

Sincerely,

Alexander Andorff, off. authorized chiropractor, M.sc. Chiro, B.sc. Health, MNKF