My girlfriend has a habit of snapping her fingers. She says it can’t hurt, but I don’t think it sounds healthy. Can this really not cause damage to the joints?
Probably not. Comparisons between ‘squatters’ and ‘non-squatters’ show no difference. The American doctor Donald Unger is famous, who from the age of 12 cracked the knuckles of only his left hand at least twice a day.
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
The snap of your fingers
After sixty years of cracking, there was no difference between left and right. A study was published last year that showed – using MRI scans – how the sound is created: when you snap, negative pressure is created in the joint fluid and an air bubble is formed. So you actually pull your joints apart for a while. After a pop, it takes a while before a sound can be produced again; This is because the space in the joint is already filled with fluid. The manual therapist probably does the same when he cracks patients’ backs. The joints in the back are briefly pulled apart, after which they can ‘seat’ again.
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