Hello, Dan!
The popping or cracking of joints is called "cavitation." Your sports
activities are probably not a factor; some people simply seem to have
more "poppable" joints than others. Heredity is often involved. As for
"treatment," you may want to visit a reputable chiropractor. Once
you've had your joints professionally cracked, you are likely to feel
less compulsion to self-adjust.
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Here's some general information on the subject:
"Question: Over the years this question has come up time and again. If
I 'crack' my back or my toes or my knuckles, just what is being
'cracked'? Is it the same for all parts of the body? Is it somehow
changing the alignment of bones?
Answer: 'Cracking' joints is a process of stretching ligaments until
the bone surfaces "pop". This may precede to joint laxity in some
susceptible individuals; but, generally is of no lasting concern
unless it produces pain."
Drug InfoNet
http://www.druginfonet.com/faq/new/DISEASE_FAQ/Joints.htm
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"Will cracking joints cause arthritis?
We do not have a definitive answer to that question. Conventional
wisdom has it that knuckle cracking will not cause arthritis, but
there is precious little scientific evidence to support either side of
the argument.
Joints are areas where bones meet. They are designed for movement.
When you crack a knuckle, you are pulling a bone away from the joint,
creating a little vacuum. This, in turn, makes an air bubble (carbon
dioxide, probably) in the synovial fluid, the liquid that lubricates
the joint and allows the parts to move together like a well-oiled
machine. Then the bubble collapses, making that notorious popping
sound.
It may seem like a no-brainer to conclude that habitually pulling the
bones and ligaments of the joint structure out-of-joint could do some
damage. But there is not any proof that it causes or even predisposes
the joints to osteoarthritis. We just do not know. Nor do we know
whether it causes some other kind of long-term damage."
Healthboards
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum92/HTML/000106.html
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"The knuckle (MDs call it the metacarpo-phalangeal joint) is
surrounded by the synovial fluid, a clear liquid that lubricates the
joint. This fluid contains about 15 percent carbon dioxide in
solution. When you crack your knuckles, you tug or twist the finger or
toe with a steady effort, creating a low-pressure zone within the
synovial fluid. According to the most likely hypothesis (Unsworth,
Dowson, and Wright, 1971), the low pressure draws CO2 and water vapor
out of solution, creating a bubble. (This process is called
cavitation.) This collapses almost instantly, and the fluid crashing
in from all sides makes the noise.
Once the big gas bubble has popped, a little one remains behind for
about 15 or 20 minutes before the CO2 inside it is totally
redissolved. During that time, any further finger-tugging simply
causes the micro-bubble to expand a bit, like a tiny shock absorber.
That's why you can't crack the same knuckle twice in rapid
succession... Incidentally, not all cracking noises produced by
stretching--e.g., in the backbone--are the result of gas bubbles
popping. Sometimes the noise is caused by a ligament snapping over
some bony projection."
Straight Dope Archives
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_305b.html
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Regarding the safety of this practice, some chiropractic physicians
believe that, although the popping of one's neck and back may provide
a good feeling, that feeling will be temporary unless an adjustment is
made by a professional:
"Recent research on this subject shows a gas (in this case, nitrogen),
which is normally dissolved into the surrounding tissues of the spine,
rushes in to fill the partial vacuum created when the joint surfaces
are slightly separated. Another example of this phenomenon would be
the 'pop' you hear when you take the cork out of a champagne bottle.
The CO2 in the champagne rushes out of the bottle when the cork is
removed. This phenomenon is called 'cavitation.' It is this cavitation
which is the cause of the noise.
Is it is bad to "crack" your back or neck a lot?
...Old wives' tales say popping or cracking your bones causes
arthritis or makes your knuckles get bigger. There isn't any research
supporting that, but, if tension keeps building up in the joints
because of spinal imbalance, it may not be the popping or cracking
that's so bad for you, but the spinal stress and imbalance which is
causing it. If a person makes a habit of doing that, he'd better go to
a doctor of chiropractic to have his spine checked for possible (and
probable) spinal column subluxations."
Morningstar Chiropractic
http://www.morningstarchiropractic.com/chiro.htm
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"IS IT BAD TO 'CRACK' YOUR NECK OR BACK A LOT?
The desire to pop the neck or back is caused by tension from a jammed
or fixated vertebra, which causes another part of the spine to
compensate by moving too much and "popping" a lot. The jammed part
should be adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest of the spinal
column will balance and stop being so movable and noisy.
SO I'M NOT 'ADJUSTING' MYSELF?
Cracking or popping your neck gives relief for a while, but soon the
urge to pop or crack reappears because the cause of the spinal tension
hasn't been corrected."
Grassi Chiropractic Medicine
http://216.157.21.249/drgfaq.htm
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"If you often crack or pop your neck yourself, it probably means that
the joints are hypermobile. The ligaments are a bit lax so the joints
move a little more than they should. In response, the muscles tighten
up to stabilize the joints. This makes your neck feel tight and makes
you want to crack it. When you do that, the muscles are momentarily
stretched, they relax somewhat, and you feel better for a while. But
when you crack your neck you also stretch the loose ligaments further
which makes the muscles tighten up again. It's a vicious cycle...
Hypermobility can be congenital (i.e., hereditary) or acquired. Teens
tend to have hypermobile spinal joints. This is normal and will
usually resolve as the skeleton and supporting tissues finish growing.
However, if neck cracking becomes a habit, then the problem can
continue into adulthood. Clinical evidence suggests that hypermobile
spinal joints become arthritic at a faster rate than normal joints.
Hypermobility can also result from injuries such as whiplash, or it
can be self-inflicted. Some popping in the back or neck occurs
spontaneously with movement and may be normal."
SpineCare Chiropractic Group
http://www.spinegroup.com/Advice/NkCrk.html
----------------------------------------
"Kelly: Can cracking your neck, like cracking your knuckles, rupture a
disc in there? It seems to relieve the pressure and pain in the
morning.
Dr. Dean: I don't know of anything that says cracking any joint is
bad. It is actually just reducing pressure, not really cracking the
joint. You drop the pressure in the fluid of the joint. The motion
causes bubbles of gas to form, and the bubble snaps into place and
that produces the cracking sound.
I would like you to know, however, that there have been some cases of
people who compress an important artery in their backs when they
wiggle their necks around, and it can cause a stroke."
Health Central
http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/deanfulltexttopics.cfm?ID=9099&storytype=DeanQuestions
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Here's a useful FAQ dealing with joint-popping:
About Back and Neck
http://backandneck.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncf.carleton.ca%2Ffibromyalgia%2Fnyejoint.htm
More on joint and knuckle cracking:
University of Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
http://www.orthop.washington.edu/arthritis/general/faq/01/#e
Home Page of Ian York
http://www.panix.com/~iayork/knuckles.html
How Stuff Works
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question437.htm
Here's an interesting series of newsgroup posts on the subject:
Posts from alt.backrubs newsgroup
http://www.beyond-the-illusion.com/files/Health/Massage/knuckle_crack.txt
Search terms used:
"cracking" + " joints"
"popping" + "joints"
"cavitation" + "joints"
"cracking" + "knuckles"
"popping" + "knuckles"
"cavitation" + "knuckles"
Keep in mind that Google Answers is not an authoritative source of
medical advice; the material I've presented is for informational
purposes, and should not be viewed as a substitute for medical
attention.
If anything I've said is not clear, if you have any questions about my
research, or if a link does not function, please request
clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before you
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Best regards,
pinkfreud |
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