Will I get arthritis if I frequently "click" my fingers? Someone has been clicking his fingers for 60 years and found out the truth

Expert of this article: Ao Rongguang, MD, Master's tutor, deputy chief physician of orthopedics department of Shanghai Pudong Hospital, head of key subspecialty of osteoporotic fracture in Pudong New Area

When you are free, do you often snap your fingers unconsciously?

Many people said that it is necessary to make a sound.

But have you ever wondered: Why does snapping your fingers make a sound? Will snapping your fingers often cause arthritis or make your fingers thicker?

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Let’s learn about it today.

01

Why is there a crackling sound when you snap your fingers?

First, let’s understand the structure of our finger joints. It is a cavity surrounded by cartilage, ligaments, synovium, etc. There is a small amount of transparent viscous liquid in the joint cavity, which is called synovial fluid.

When the joints move, in addition to the bones moving, the surrounding ligaments are also protecting the stability of the joints at all times. The synovial fluid in the joint cavity is like "lubricant", allowing the joints to move more freely.

As for the sound made by cracking your fingers, the bursting of bubbles is currently the most common explanation. When you crack your fingers, negative pressure is generated in the joint cavity, and the gas in the synovial fluid exists in the form of bubbles. When the bubbles are squeezed and burst, a "crackling" sound is made.

Of course, there are some different opinions.

In 2005, a Canadian research team used professional equipment to perform dynamic MRI scans on the hands. They found that the synovial fluid is filled between the finger joints. When the fingers are stretched, the synovial fluid will also change accordingly. During this process, gas will appear in the synovial fluid and form bubbles in the synovial fluid. The bubble will exist until the finger makes a "click" sound.

Therefore, they believe that the sound when cracking fingers is not caused by the bursting of bubbles, but is related to the formation of cavities in the joints.

When the joint is pulled apart, a black cavity can be seen forming inside the joint cavity.

(Adapted from Gregory N. Kawchuk, Jerome Fryer, Jacob L, et al. Jaremko Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation, PLOS ONE, 2015)

In addition, the experiment also found that when the joints are moving, the bones do not contact each other. Therefore, the sound produced by cracking fingers is not caused by bone friction.

I believe that in the near future, scientists will find the real source of the sound of snapping fingers.

02

Will you get arthritis if you often bend your fingers?

When you bend your fingers, there is no friction between the bones. Therefore, generally speaking, bend your fingers are not harmful to the finger joints and will not cause thickening of the fingers or arthritis.

Ig Nobel Prize winner Donald Unger once conducted an experiment on himself. For the past sixty years, he only cracked the joints of his left hand and never cracked the joints of his right hand.

Sixty years later, his conclusion was that it made no difference whether you broke it or not.

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In 2011, researchers conducted a five-year retrospective study on the correlation between finger bending and arthritis. The study included 135 experimental groups and 80 control groups. The results showed that there was no relationship between finger bending and arthritis.

But in certain circumstances, frequent finger bending may cause damage to the fingers.

03

In what situations can cracking your fingers be harmful?

In 1990, a foreign study showed that frequent finger cracking may cause hand function impairment. In addition, frequent finger cracking may also cause tendon and ligament damage in the hand, requiring surgery.

In 2015, a literature report said that a 24-year-old man was hospitalized for long-term and frequent bending of his little finger. Examination revealed that the little finger extensor tendon and dorsal retinaculum were injured. When the little finger joint was bent more than 50°, the little finger joint would be dislocated. He eventually underwent surgery to recover.

In addition, when fingers are injured, especially when the ligaments of the fingers have not yet recovered, bending the fingers will aggravate the ligament injury, which may cause the fingers to become thicker and the finger joints to become unstable, which can easily lead to arthritis in the long run.

Therefore, there is no harm in bending your fingers, but if you do it frequently and for a long time, especially when your fingers are injured, the harmless thing will become harmful.

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04

What problems will arise if fingers become thicker?

Generally speaking, there are two reasons that cause fingers to become thicker.

The first is finger joint degeneration, which is the wear and tear of the cartilage in the finger joints.

Bone hyperplasia occurs around the joints, and the area around the joints becomes thicker. This is common in people who use their hands frequently. It usually does not cause discomfort when you are young, but as time goes by, when you get older, your fingers will feel uncomfortable.

In addition, autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause the cartilage of the fingers to be eroded by the immune system, which can cause the finger joints to become enlarged or even deformed.

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The second is caused by soft tissue damage in the fingers.

For example, if you poke your finger while playing basketball and damage the collateral ligament of the finger joint, the finger will swell and thicken. At this time, the finger should be immobilized for about 3 weeks. After the ligament is repaired, you can move it again. Otherwise, the thickening of the finger will be difficult to subside and may even affect the movement of the finger joint.

In short, no matter what causes the fingers to become thicker, everyone should pay attention to it and go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

To sum up, bending your fingers moderately will not damage the joints. However, bending your fingers frequently or when your fingers have ligament injuries may cause damage to the joints.

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