Some people enjoy cracking their joints, much to the horror of others who find it disgusting. What exactly is going on here?
“We don’t know,” admits Caroline Werkmeister, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hamburg University Hospital.
Scientists have tried to determine why some people have noisier joints than others, but they have not reached a definitive conclusion.
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It is reliably known only that it has something to do with nitrogen and carbon dioxide that accumulates between the joints, and the lower the air pressure, the more likely it is that cracking will occur.
The cracking sound, it is assumed, occurs at the moment when gas suddenly reverts to a liquid state, which is a response to the decrease in pressure.
“However, there simply isn’t enough research on this,” says Werkmeister.
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And what should be done about it? Just crack away, says Werkmeister, because scientists at least know that it is not a major problem.
“If people who crack their joints had any issues because of it, we would have known by now,” she said.
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But there is one condition – the cracking must not be painful. In that case, it is advisable to see a doctor.
