Arthritis and the Myth Behind Cracking Bones: Separating Fact from Fiction

Every day, I see at least one person cracking their bones, whether it be their knuckles, back, or neck. I can also say that I am guilty of cracking my bones at least once a day. A common misconception is that “cracking your bones” means that your bones are literally breaking, deteriorating, because of the sound of a snap; in truth, it is the sound of joints popping by releasing pressure.

My whole life, from different people, I have heard that cracking your bones is considered to be harmful for your body and could lead to arthritis, a common condition that causes joint inflammation, later in life. From those moments on, every time I cracked my bones I thought about what could potentially happen to me in the future.

This made me think about the job of chiropractors as they are paid to crack your bones. If it is considered bad to crack your bones, why do chiropractors do so for the benefit of our bodies? Considering these factors, I began to question the true effects of cracking your bones.

Determined to find the answer, I interviewed a chiropractor with over 10 years of experience. He proved that cracking your bones is considered bad for your bones because every time you crack your bones you cause hypermobility in your joints that might not need to be released. Hypermobility means that there is too much movement in the joints and the ligaments become lax, meaning they become loose and stretched. The reason people crack their bones is because it gives the sense of pain relief because it releases pressure in the joints.

This led me to ask about those who crack their knuckles or neck every day and don’t have any problems. He mentioned that cracking your bones multiple times a day is what causes the most issues, but doing it once a day is not harmful to your body and has a low chance of causing arthritis. But still, no one should crack their bones every day.

Not only that, he mentioned that arthritis isn’t just inflammation in the joints; arthritis is the process of degeneration between the joints, reducing the joint space which can cause the bones to rub against each other in the future.

Confused, I inquired about the difference between cracking your bones yourself and a chiropractor professionally cracking your bones. He let me know that chiropractors are trained to use special methods to find the specific area of restrictions using their expertise. Getting an adjustment at least once a month, or depending on the severity of the case where you would need more adjustments, assists with the maintenance of your joints. This helped me understand that cracking your bones is a job for a professional and that there are consequences for doing it yourself. Personally, now that I know cracking my bones is bad for my body, I will try my best to never crack my bones myself again.

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ABOUT SHANNA

Shanna is a 9th-grader taking her first journalism class at Centner Academy. She is responsible for writing captions and brief introductions for articles, as well as designing the physical copy of the Pollinator Post. Shanna is passionate about writing reviews and conducting interviews. Outside of journalism, Shanna also enjoys ballet.