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You Asked: Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Joint Damage?
Dear Fit,
I have to admit that I love cracking my knuckles, but my gramma always says that I'm ruining my joints and I'll get arthritis when I'm older. Is she right?
—Cracky Kathy
This is a great question and you are not alone in the love of cracking your knuckles.
Sprain vs. Strain
Injuries suck! But it does help to know the name of your enemy and the difference between a strain and a sprain.
- Strain: A strain involves injury to a muscle or a tendon, which attach muscles to bones.
Taking it To the Streets After Running On a Treadmill
It is that time of year when folks move their workouts outside since the weather is so dang nice. If you have been running indoors on a treadmilll and are looking to move your runs outside there are a few things to take into consideration.
- The surface of the treadmill is more forgiving to your joints so suddenly shifting all your runs outside can be jarring to your ankles, knees and hips.
Chi Running: Use Your Mind to Run, Not Just Your Feet
Chi Running (or Mindful Running) is the latest trend to quietly hit the streets, literally.
WebMD got the basics of Chi Running from Danny Dreyer, an ultra-marathon runner and author of the book Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running.
The Skinny on: Cracking Your Knuckles
When someone tells you that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis, they're wrong.
What exactly makes that "popping" sound? When you crack your knuckles, or back, or whatever, you are pushing the joint into or out of its normal position.
Other Search Results
You Asked: Are Popping and Cracking Joints Harmful?
Hi FitSugar,
I got a yoga DVD recently and I like it a lot, but every time I do some of the workouts, my joints tend to crack and pop a lot! It doesn't hurt, it actually feels kind of good the same way cracking your knuckles feels, but I'm worried I might be hurting myself without even knowing it. I'm fairly flexible with a dance and martial arts background, but yoga is stretching me in new and interesting ways.
You Asked: Why Avoid Locking?
You're asking and I'm answering.
"Fit, whenever I am reading about how to do a new exercise it almost always says, "Do not lock your knees," or elbows or whatever. Why is locking so bad?"
It's a Wrap For Injured Joints
Last night my husband was complaining that his wrist was hurting him a little bit and that he thought he may have injured the joint while doing push-ups or something.
Being the stellar wife that I am, I began my quest to find out how to wrap it best if it came down to that. Lucky for me, I found an easy how-to for properly applying an elastic bandage from the University of Michigan Health System:
- Start wrapping the bandage lower than the area that is injured.
- Continue to wrap upward around the injury.
- Fully wrap the entire area that is injured, wrapping securely.
Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis?
In order to answer this question, we first need to talk about arthritis. It's the name for a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints. Here are some examples:
- Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself.
- Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection.
- Gouty arthritis is caused when uric acid crystals get deposited in the joints, which causes inflammation.
- The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease), occurs after an injury or infection in the joint, or simply as a result of aging.
You Asked: My Ankles Crack When I Walk Up and Down Stairs
You're asking and I'm answering . . .
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