Health · Fact check

Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?

Rated: Mostly false 2 of 5 on the fact-check scale

Largely no. The evidence mostly does not support this claim.

FalseTrue

The claim

Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

What the evidence shows

Studies have not found that habitual knuckle-cracking causes arthritis. The popping sound comes from gas bubbles in the joint fluid, not from damage to bone or cartilage. Research, including a long-term self-experiment that earned a tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Prize, found no higher rate of arthritis among knuckle-crackers.

This summary describes a fact-check originally published by Snopes. FactGuard did not conduct this review; we summarize it and link to the original. Read the original fact-check by Snopes →