What’s Really Happening Inside Your Knuckles When You Crack Them? [1]

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April McCarthy, Prevent Disease [3]
Waking Times [4]

Scientists have calculated that the amount of force at work when you crack your knuckles has enough energy to cause damage to hard surfaces, yet studies show that the habit does not appear to cause long-term harm. By defining the process underlying joint cracking, scientists seek to discover its therapeutic benefits, or possible harms, their study published last week in PLOS ONE [5] found.

Scientists in Canada have taken a step closer to an answer by discovering what exactly happens when a knuckle is cracked that causes the distinctive popping sounds.

Through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) video, the University of Alberta researchers observed that the cause is a cavity forming rapidly inside the joint.