- What happens when you crack your knuckles
and is it bad for you?
Well, between your joints
you have something called synovial fluid,
which is basically there
to keep you nice and lubricated, honey.
But every time you crack your knuckles
you're essentially pulling the bones away from each other.
And as a result, the space between them gets bigger.
And so the synovial fluid,
which is the same amount of fluid,
has to go into a low pressure zone.
So any gas in it gets pulled out, forms a bubble and pops.
And that is the noise that you're hearing.
Now, is it bad for you?
Most of the research has found
that it doesn't cause things like arthritis.
It probably isn't bad for you.
Though some studies have shown
that it decreases grip strength over time,
but the biggest risk seems to be
that the more you do it,