There is no injury-specific forum here as far as I can tell, so this seems like as good a place as any to post.
I was wondering if anyone knows the physiological effects of “joint-cracking”. When I was young, I got into the habit of popping my knuckles, neck, back, elbows…hell I can even crack my sternum. I never paid it much mind and, while I suspected it wasn’t particularly good, I doubted it caused serious harm.
Recently, however, I herniated a disc in my lower back. I was wondering if the popping of my lower back (I usually do it through twisting) could cause some sort of instability or something like that.
I’ve read that popping your back is a no-no, but everything else is fine. I personally have no idea. Popping my knuckles hasn’t had any adverse reactions so far.
More importantly, that’s a wicked cool avatar. Do you have anymore information on it? Who made it, where’d you find it, anything like that?
Ok… popping joints is just releasing nitrogen. thats all it is. I could affect the size of the joint… but I havent found a solid study that proves it. I mean… thats kind of like saying the going to chiropractor is bad. shit… there’s a multi million dollar field down the tubes if its true. Dont believe everything yall read or hear. And i have been cracking my knuckles for years and my grip is better than its ever been.
Cracking joints is OK if you are jsut releasing nitrogen bubbles. This is what is usually happening with knucle cracking.
Hoever cracking joints like your shoulder and elbow might be different. Could be the actual joint be rotated/extended beyond what is normal and you have tendons snapping (slipping) from one side of the joint to the other.
I can crack knees,elbows,knucles,toes,back.
Anything other than knucles is likely due to loose joints.
I know with my shoulder and knees that I am rotating beyound what is normal.
I saw a physio. He said my joints are just naturally a little loose. When I asked if there is any danger he said:
“Don’t really know. You told me that you do not have any pain so at worst you might speed up/increase your odds of getting arithis in the future, say like when you’re only 50 years old (I’m 22). I would not do it if you can help it.”
I can’t. It relieves tension and pressure. Feels good.
I wouldnt worry about it.
I don’t think cracking your knucles affects your grip. Mine is strong enough.
I am very careful not to twist and crack my back immediately after deadlifting - that would just be stupid.
After benching however I get a really good CRACK of my right shoulder. Feels great!
Oh, I can also crack ankles and neck. Pretty much everything.
Oh, as for your original question. Us people with loose joints will naturally be a little more prone to over-extension or over-rotation. That is, cracking your back did not make your spine unstable - your back already is unstable and allows cracking to occur.
Strength training will increase tendon strength, muscle, etc. around the joint. It will not make it worse. It will make it better.
[quote]Chefbc14 wrote:
Ok… popping joints is just releasing nitrogen. thats all it is. I could affect the size of the joint… but I havent found a solid study that proves it. I mean… thats kind of like saying the going to chiropractor is bad.[/quote]
Not necessarily. A chiropractor or an osteopath cracks your bones because they are out of alignment and supposedly cracking them will bring them back in. You might go to a chiropractor–what–once a month tops (if you have really bad back problems or something). That is fairly significantly different from the chronic and unnecessary cracking every day.
To those suggesting my back cracks BECAUSE it is unstable–what about the fact that the more you crack, the more you can crack. For example, I notice that if I do not crack my neck for several weeks it often becomes much less crackable. Wouldn’t this indicate that the joint is indeed becoming MORE unstable?
As I sit here in my office chair I only have to extend my knees 30 degrees past perpindicular and pop goes the weasel. No effort or straining required.
Yet I can squat 100kg so I don’t think my kness are more unstable then a normal 70kg guy.
I stand up and twist at my hips and snap, crackle and pop.
I can dead 140kg so my spine can’t be that unstable
Stiffness does not equal stablity.
Cracking does equal instablity only in that you can over extend/rotate a joint past what the body is designed for regarding muscle/tendon placement/leverages and risk breaking the joint completely.
You are just as stable as those who don’t crack when you do not OVER-extend or OVER-rotate a joint.
[quote]Spry wrote:
As I sit here in my office chair I only have to extend my knees 30 degrees past perpindicular and pop goes the weasel. No effort or straining required.
Yet I can squat 100kg so I don’t think my kness are more unstable then a normal 70kg guy.
YOU CAN’T ASSUME THAT BECAUSE OF THIS INFORMATION. 100KG ISN’T EVEN THAT MUCH.
I stand up and twist at my hips and snap, crackle and pop.
I can dead 140kg so my spine can’t be that unstable
SAME THING HERE. 140KG ISN’T MUCH AND IT IS VERY POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN UNSTABLE BACK AND STILL DEADLIFT THAT MUCH.
Stiffness does not equal stablity.
I AGREE
Cracking does equal instablity only in that you can over extend/rotate a joint past what the body is designed for regarding muscle/tendon placement/leverages and risk breaking the joint completely.
You are just as stable as those who don’t crack when you do not OVER-extend or OVER-rotate a joint.
NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN KNOW THIS. YOU DON’T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE THAT ASSUMPTION.
[/quote]
thoughts in caps.
I would avoid cracking anything, but if you have to, knuckles probably aren’t a problem. Avoid cracking your back (I assume you twist it really hard to get it to crack).
I regularly go to the chiro. I mentioned that I crack my neck and back. He is not a fan of self-adjustment. I don’t the actual “cracking” is bad, but it is how you do it (position). You could potentially do some unintentional damage.
[quote]vision1 wrote:
I would avoid cracking anything, but if you have to, knuckles probably aren’t a problem. Avoid cracking your back (I assume you twist it really hard to get it to crack).
[/quote]
No I don’t really have to twist very hard. Actually often I will just sit down in a chair and if I sit down with a slight arch in it so I put pressure on my tailbone, it will crack. My lower back cracks quite easily.
P.S. Rather than putting your comments in caps (which I always hate–it looks like I’m yelling), you can enclose the text you want to quote with [ quote] text [ /quote].
[quote]Fiction wrote:
vision1 wrote:
I would avoid cracking anything, but if you have to, knuckles probably aren’t a problem. Avoid cracking your back (I assume you twist it really hard to get it to crack).
No I don’t really have to twist very hard. Actually often I will just sit down in a chair and if I sit down with a slight arch in it so I put pressure on my tailbone, it will crack. My lower back cracks quite easily.
P.S. Rather than putting your comments in caps (which I always hate–it looks like I’m yelling), you can enclose the text you want to quote with [ quote] text [ /quote]. [/quote]
I could, but it takes time to quote each section separately.
*YOU CAN’T ASSUME THAT BECAUSE OF THIS INFORMATION. 100KG ISN’T EVEN THAT MUCH.
No, it’s enough to prove I don’t have some weird joint problem. I have seen a General Practicioner and a Physiotherapist and they found nothing wrong with me.
*SAME THING HERE. 140KG ISN’T MUCH AND IT IS VERY POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN UNSTABLE BACK AND STILL DEADLIFT THAT MUCH.
It’s enough to prove I don’t have some weird spinal problem. I have seen a General Practicioner and a Physiotherapist and they found nothing wrong with me.
*I AGREE
Sweet.
*NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN KNOW THIS. YOU DON’T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE THAT ASSUMPTION.
Two independent medical professionals think I’m normal enough and see no harm with the cracking. So the assumption that when my limbs are not over extended or rotated they are as strong as someone who does not crack their joints is a fair assumption.
[quote]Spry wrote:
*YOU CAN’T ASSUME THAT BECAUSE OF THIS INFORMATION. 100KG ISN’T EVEN THAT MUCH.
No, it’s enough to prove I don’t have some weird joint problem. I have seen a General Practicioner and a Physiotherapist and they found nothing wrong with me.
*SAME THING HERE. 140KG ISN’T MUCH AND IT IS VERY POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN UNSTABLE BACK AND STILL DEADLIFT THAT MUCH.
It’s enough to prove I don’t have some weird spinal problem. I have seen a General Practicioner and a Physiotherapist and they found nothing wrong with me.
*I AGREE
Sweet.
*NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN KNOW THIS. YOU DON’T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE THAT ASSUMPTION.
Two independent medical professionals think I’m normal enough and see no harm with the cracking. So the assumption that when my limbs are not over extended or rotated they are as strong as someone who does not crack their joints is a fair assumption.
[/quote]
Fair enough.
If professionals have checked you out than I can’t comment over them.
I thought you were talking about the OP, not yourself on that last statement.