How To Stop Cracking Your Knuckles

Although cracking your knuckles probably does not cause arthritis, depending on the severity and length of the habit, it can lead to other serious adverse effects, and even be a sign of more serious nervous disorders.

The Basics of Treating Nervous Habits

1. Discover the source of the anxiety. Since a nervous habit is in response to stress, identifying the source of the stress is the first step in dealing with the habit. Stress can be specific, like worrying about an upcoming test, or it can be general, like relationships with parents and peers, social acceptance, or any of many other factors.
2. Be aware you are doing it. Since knuckle cracking is a nervous symptom it is, by definition, subconscious. Most of the time people are not even aware they are cracking their knuckles until somebody tells them. Of course, these last two steps are related. If you notice you are cracking, try to think about what you were worrying about while cracking.
3. Avoid nagging. If you are a knuckle popper or care for a knuckle popper be aware that nagging or complaining about the habit is more likely to make it worse than make it go away. Nagging only leads to more stress, which increases the nervous reaction to that stress.
4. Maintain a support system. Although nagging or increasing stress is unlikely to help, there are many ways that friends and family can help the knuckle popper. A simple touch on the arm when somebody notices unconscious habits can go a long way to understanding and dealing with the problem.
5. Understand that most knuckle cracking is harmless and will probably go away with time. If the cracking does not coincide with other changes in behavior then patience is probably the best antidote.
6. Understand that prolonged excessive or any kind of habit that has a negative effect on the normal course of life is always a problem, or "issue," and should be faced. Truly excessive knuckle popping, especially accompanied by the popping of other joints in the body, can be an early sign of more serious anxiety disorders. Consider that how good you treat yourself is usually the result of how good you feel about yourself.

Behavioral Therapy

1. Understand that no matter how much you crack, if you want to stop, behavioral therapy techniques are the way to go. In other words, cracking your knuckles is a behavior, so you use behavioral techniques to change your behavior. Simplifying a little (!) there are two basic forms of behavioral therapy: positive and negative.
2. Positive behavioral therapy includes techniques like reward systems: Set goals and give yourself (or your loved one) a reward for meeting those goals.
3. Give your hands something else to do other than knuckle cracking. Learn to twirl a pencil or a coin, for example. Aspiring magicians practice moving a coin through, over, and around the fingers of one hand without touching anything else. A pen or pencil works too. This exercise is truly good for anyone at any age. Developing finger strength, coordination, manual dexterity can be fun too as you master a new skill rather than hurt yourself.
4. Learn a new hobby or other distraction. Some kind of hobby that keeps your hands (and mind) busy is probably an excellent idea like drawing, writing, or arts and crafts.
5. Negative techniques include minor punishments or other reminders to make the person aware of their habit, so they can stop. There are as many kinds of these techniques as there are people who would offer advice.
6. The single most classic behavioral method is to wrap a rubber band around your wrist. When you notice you are about to crack your knuckles pull back on the rubber band and release. The tiny bit of pain will remind you not to crack. Other techniques include:
   1. Put tape around your fist knuckles (the biggest ones). About three layers will do.
   2. Take a small lotion around with you in your pocket or purse. When you feel the urge to pop your knuckles, get out the lotion and rub it on your hands. It will moisturize them very well and might possibly stop your knuckle popping habit.
   3. Have a friend put tape around your "knocking knuckles."
   4. Tape your fingertips to your palm to make a fist.
   5. Put socks on your hands.
   6. Repeat this for about an hour a day for one month.
   7. During the time that you don't do this process, keep a pen/pencil in your hand to prevent cracking or "strumming" your fingers.

Be Aware of Adverse Effects

1. Educate yourself on the possible dangers of knuckle cracking. Although several studies have shown that knuckle cracking does not lead to arthritis, what you are doing when you crack your knuckles is basically the same thing as dislocating your shoulder, pulling the bones and cartilage apart to release a gas (called synovial fluid, made mostly of carbon dioxide and some nitrogen) that makes the popping sound. People who have continued to crack their knuckles for very long periods of time have developed symptoms that include:
   • Reduced hand strength, probably the most common effect.
   • Swollen or painful hands.
   • Soft tissue damage to the joint capsule(s).
   • Damage to the hand's ligaments, the soft tissues that connect our bones.

Tips

• Don't expect immediate results. It can take a long time to change behavior. Make sure you just wean yourself off gradually.
• Cracking your knuckles can make your hands feel looser.
• There are vast differences between human beings when it comes to being able to crack or pop bone joints. Some people cannot do it at all, while in others increased space between the joints makes it easier. Some individuals can "crack" many of the joints in their body.