In recent years, rumors have flourished about the relationship between cracking knuckles and RA (rheumatoid arthritis); Many people believe RA stems from cracking knuckles, but there is no evidence supporting this.
RA is an autoimmune disease, or a disease where the body attacks its own tissue. The causes are unknown.
“When you do ‘crack’ your knuckles, the pop you hear is just the joints filling up with air,” chemistry teacher, Jason Roberts, said. “The popping of knuckles itself cannot cause an autoimmune response, or, at least, cannot be considered a direct cause.”
Specialists believe that the myth of getting RA from cracking knuckles is simply an old wive’s tale.
“I’ve heard it for years, and when I was a little girl, that if you crack your knuckles, they’ll start to bother you in your fifties or sixties. But I never did, so I wouldn’t know,” Jane Brown, Nurse’s Assistant , said. “My husband has inflamed knuckles from arthritis, and he never cracked his knuckles habitually,” Brown added.