Reviewers: Tan Mingsheng (China-Japan Friendship Hospital), Wang Zhenhu (82nd Army Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army)
Friends who often watched martial arts movies when they were young must remember this picture: People who fight fiercely have a skill, that is, they can crack their knuckles, which is so cool!
Xiao Ming watched it and kept it in his heart, and practiced hard every day. On the day he finished his studies, Xiao Ming felt that with this momentum, children within a radius of five miles did not dare to provoke him.
Image source: soogif
Until—
A relative invited at a dinner party: “Come, put on a show for aunts and uncles.”
So, Xiao Ming exhausted all the skills he had learned in his life, and performed it for everyone—the kind of cracking knuckles.
Then…
He was beaten.
Image source: Tencent Medical Dictionary
Later, although Xiao Ming got rid of this habit under the education of his parents, there are still many people who still have the habit of breaking their knuckles. So, why does the snapping sound click? Can you really get arthritis?
Let’s see first-
1. Why does the “click” sound when you break your fingers?
The crisp clicking sound when snapping fingers will make many people feel sour.
This phenomenon is also very common in our lives. For example, when squatting down, the knee joint will make this kind of snapping sound.
In fact, this is related to the precise structure of the joints. In order to ensure the movement of the human body, there is a gap between the normal joints of the human body – the joint cavity, which is filled with liquid, and these liquids can To the role of “lubricant”, it can protect the joints to complete the movements smoothly, such as taking courier, picking vegetables, and squatting, all require the participation of lubricants.
Image source: Tencent Medical Dictionary
When the joint is stretched or flexed, the space in the joint cavity becomes larger, which can cause the air bubbles in the joint fluid to burst or explode, which is the clicking sound we hear.
Just like when we inflate a balloon, as the gas filled increases, the edge of the balloon is continuously stretched, and when the stretching force exceeds the capacity of the balloon, it will explode.
Image source: soogif
Although in most cases, the popping sound is caused by the vibration of gas in the joint cavity, there is no pain, swelling or other joint symptoms, which is a normal physiological phenomenon.
But it’s also important to keep an eye on whether your joint snapping is physiological or pathological.
2. Are all joint snapping normal?
If you suddenly snap your fingers, the “click” sound is crisp, and you feel that this feel is quite relaxed, and it takes a certain amount of time before the next click, which is generally a physiological click , don’t worry too much.
Pathological snapping of fingers may be caused by finger osteoarthritis or finger tenosynovitis: Bone hyperplasia occurs in the fingers, and the frictional resistance of the joints between the fingers increases, resulting in snapping, Compression of the finger flexor tendons may cause local inflammation and can also cause snapping.
In addition to the fingers, pathological snapping sounds from other joints in the body may be: knee cartilage tear, shoulder trauma (such as muscle strain), elbow bone dislocation (may also be caused by The joints are too flexible), etc., will cause pathological snapping.
When youWhen you feel uncomfortable and don’t know how to tell the difference, the best way is to see a doctor.
Image source: Tencent Medical Dictionary
Third, can breaking your fingers cause arthritis?
As for the saying that breaking your fingers often causes arthritis, you can shout to your mother: Mom, you are wrong!
There are two main types of arthritis: one is related to the own immune system (such as rheumatoid arthritis), and the other is due to the wear and tear of the cartilage of the joint (the wear and tear of the cartilage Associated with aging, joint damage, being overweight, genetics, etc., this is called osteoarthritis).
Since the sound of snapping fingers is caused by the vibration of air bubbles in the synovial fluid, it does not cause damage to the joints and naturally does not cause arthritis.
And the snapping itself is a kind of friction, which can strengthen local blood circulation to a certain extent and help reduce inflammation.
On the question of “Will breaking your fingers cause arthritis?” Nader Unger, MD, USA did an informal but interesting experiment: he broke at least 2 times a day The left finger joints, and never the right joints, have been used for more than 60 years of “control experiments” with their own hands.
Ultimately, there was no significant difference between the two hands by visual inspection or X-ray, and no arthritis. He also won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009 [1].
(Nader Unger, source: Internet)
In addition, if the finger joints are thick, it is not suitable to break the fingers, because the bone hyperplasia after the joint is injured is the reason for the thick joint.
Under normal circumstances, breaking your fingers occasionally is not a big problem. After all, the most important thing in life is to be happy.
However, let’s not handle the hands improperly. If your fingers are injured, don’t break them. Excessive force will also cause acute damage to the structures around the joints.
Otherwise, you won’t get a “wow…” appreciation, but a scream of “ah…”.
Image source: Tencent Medical Dictionary
References:
[1] The 2009 “Ig Nobel Prize” was just released[J]. Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, 2009, 11(10).
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