Effects of habitual knuckle cracking on metacarpal cartilage thickness and grip strength
One article on PainSci cites Yildizgören 2017: The Complete Guide to Neck Pain & Cricks
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Joint cracking involves a manipulation of the finger joints resulting in an audible crack. This study aimed to determine whether habitual knuckle cracking (KC) leads to an alteration in grip strength and metacarpal head (MH) cartilage thickness. Thirty-five habitual knuckle crackers (cracking their joints ≥5times/day) (20 M, 15 F, aged 19-27 years) and 35 age-, gender-, and body mass index-matched non-crackers were enrolled in the study. MH cartilage thickness was measured with ultrasound and grip strength was measured with an analog Jamar hand dynamometer. Grip strength was similar between groups (P>0.05). Habitual knuckle crackers had thicker MH cartilage in the dominant and non-dominant hands than those of the controls (P=0.038 and P=0.005, respectively). There was no correlation between MH cartilage thickness and grip strength in both groups (P>0.05). While habitual KC does not affect handgrip strength, it appears to be associated with increased MH cartilage thickness.
related content
- “The consequences of habitual knuckle cracking,” Swezey et al, West J Med, 1975.
- “Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function,” Castellanos et al, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 1990.
- “Habitual knuckle cracking and hand function,” Simkin, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 1990.
- “Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?,” Unger, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 1998.
- “Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis,” Deweber et al, J Am Board Fam Med, 2011.
- “Clinical Inquiry: Does knuckle popping lead to arthritis?,” Powers et al, J Fam Pract, 2016.
- “"Knuckle Cracking": Can Blinded Observers Detect Changes with Physical Examination and Sonography?,” Boutin et al, Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research, 2017.
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