Video Shows What Actually Happens When You Crack Your Knuckles
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Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Canadian scientists have finally solved the mystery about why our knuckles crack — though they did not determine whether the action brings any lasting effects.
The scientists attached a tube-like “finger trap” to a human finger and applied force until the joint cracked. Using real-time MRI imaging, they were able to see a captivation bubble forming within the joint cavity — confirming a theory that was first described by scientists in 1947 and refuted in 1971.
The theory that the sound of a cracking knuckle comes from a popping bubble within the joint had been accepted, but was disproved by the scientists’ video.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, did not speculate as to the long-term impact of cracking one’s knuckles.
Despite warnings from grandparents that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis, Dr. Debbie Yi, an Emergency Medicine and Neurology physician at the Hospital of UPenn, told ABC News earlier this year that no such claim has ever been proven.
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