Good or Bad? Doctor Finally Explains the Myth About Cracking Knuckles

Be it out of habit or because they feel the urge to, many people crack their knuckles on a daily basis. While this practice is usually frowned upon, one doctor has taken to TikTok to finally bust the myth about cracking knuckles once and for all.

Cracking Knuckles and Arthritis

Dr. Faran, more famous as @madmedicine on TikTok, published a video that has since gone viral explaining the science behind cracking knuckles and addressing common misconceptions, including its connection to arthritis. In the video, Faran shows footage of a woman cracking “every joint in her body” and says that, contrary to popular belief, cracking your knuckles isn’t going to lead to arthritis.

He goes on to explain that when you crack your knuckles, you’re essentially releasing the bubbles that have formed in the joints in your synovial fluid. This so-called synovial fluid serves as a lubricant for the joints, making it possible for them to move with ease. To back his statement, Dr. Faran also mentions a study by Dr. David Onger, who, for 60 years, cracked the knuckles only on his right hand and discovered that there was no change between both his hands when he compared them.

Science Agrees With Dr. Faran

In addition to the study by Dr. Onger, Dr. Faran’s video was also backed by the AARP as well as Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon and author of Longevity… Simplified. According to him, there’s no connection between cracking knuckles and arthritis as long as it’s done gently. As for the noise our knuckles make when cracked, Luks confirmed that it happens because of the negative pressure built up in our joints, which is basically the pockets of bubbles produced by the synovial fluid.

Once more experts joined the discussion under Faran’s video, things quickly picked up, and today there are more than 1.5 million views on his TikTok video!