How to Crack Your Knuckles

Last Updated: December 16, 2022 References

Cracking your knuckles can accomplish so many things: release tension in your fingers, keep your hands busy, totally annoy those around you and possibly even freak them out - all valid reasons. Just how do you do it, though?^{[1]
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Research source} Let us count the ways.

Things You Should Know

Interlock your hands and clench them. Then, straighten your fingers and push each knuckle slightly to crack them.
Put one of your hands in a fist, then clench your other hand around the fist and push. You can also go 1 finger at a time or crack your knuckles by twisting instead.
Wait about 15 minutes between cracks. Knuckles crack because of gas bubbles popping inside the fluid in your joints.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Gripping, Pressing, Twisting, and Cracking

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Clench your hands so they interlock. Think how someone would hold a die when playing a dice game. This is the first step to limbering up your fingers.
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Suddenly straighten your fingers and push slightly into each knuckle. The bottom ones should be easiest to crack, but the top knuckles can crack, too. That force should generate an immediate crack.^{[2]
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Research source}
- Sometimes knuckles just won't crack. If your finger starts to hurt and no pop! is heard, just move onto the next finger.
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3
Another way is to first put one of your hands in a fist. Then, clench your other hand around and push. This way you can do an entire row of knuckles at once.
- You can also rotate your hand and then push down on your top knuckles, too. This can take a bit of getting used to and can be painful at first.
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Or take it one finger at a time. Make a fist like you did in the other methods, but then concentrate on just one finger. You may be able to get a louder pop if you dedicate all the pressure to one finger.
- With the thumb of your other hand on the finger you're going to crack, hold the hand you're cracking with your other hand. Press down one at a time with your thumb either on top of your finger or pressing down near the tip to crack the top.
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Experiment with cracking your knuckles without making a fist. Instead, put your hands together like you're clapping, similar to a praying position. Your fingers and palms should be touching, mirroring each other. Then, move your palms apart, keeping your fingers pressing together. Press them harder and harder together, moving your palms upward, until you hear your knuckles cracking.
- You may need to rotate your hands a bit. Dead on your middle and ring finger should crack, but with a little twist, you can focus on your pointer and pinky fingers.
6
Try cracking your knuckles by twisting. There's two ways you can do this:
- Take one hand and wrap it around the finger you want to crack. Then swing that hand while you hold the finger stable. It takes a little time to perfect, but you can get a good crack out of it.
  - You can do it for the top joints, too; just grip a little higher.
- Grab the top part of your knuckle with your opposite hand and give it a twist. Basically, instead of twisting your cracking-hand, you twist the hand doing the cracking.
7
Try cracking your knuckles without even touching them. You just stiffen your fingers and slowly try to bend them forward; if your knuckles are particularly bubbly, this can work. However, for most people it's just a lofty pipe dream.
- And even fewer people can crack the same finger immediately after they have already popped it. This may not be the case for you, but if you're having problems, consider waiting 5-10 minutes and crack again.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Understanding Your Knuckles

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Understand why your knuckles crack. The noise is believed to be gas bubbles popping inside the fluid in your joints as you move them just so.^{[3]
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Research source} Given varying joint sizes in different people, some people can make more noises than others. Some will not be able to crack their knuckles at all. Which ones can you do? The top and bottom knuckles, too?
- All of our joints (where bone meets bone and attached by tendons and ligaments) are surrounded by synovial fluid. By stretching your finger, you create an increase in volume which, in turn, creates a drop in pressure. That starts the gases dissolving, forming bubbles. Those are the bubbles that are popping in your fingers; the process is known as "cavitation."^{[4]
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  Research source}
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Wait for 15 or so minutes between cracks. Once you have cracked your knuckles, it will take some time for the gas bubbles to re-dissolve into your synovial fluid. This prevents you from cracking them again right away. But the fluid should be ready to go in 10 to 15 minutes or so. Try timing yours!

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3
Know the effects. Your mother probably told you that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis or some other bad effect on your hands. Is it true? Well, probably not.^{[5]
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Research source} Some studies have been done, and none have been conclusive. It's mostly just an old wives' tale.
- Some say that yes, it can lead to joint pain while others say there's no connection whatsoever. And then there's the fact that those who crack their knuckles may already have pain, so how can you account for that? But as with anything, don't overdo it just to be safe.

Community Q&A

Question

Why does it hurt when I try?

Community Answer

It sometimes can take time and practice to crack your fingers or any part of your body without it hurting. It tends to hurt more if you tighten the joints and muscles around the part you are cracking. Resolve this problem by holding your hand in the positions as stated above in the article and then wait until you are relaxed before applying pressure or force.
Question

Why is it that when I fold then squeeze my fingers, it feels like my bones are gonna break?

Community Answer

This is probably due to the amount of pressure you are putting on the joint. If you are pushing this hard and still have no result, then you will probably want to stop and reconsider if cracking your knuckles is worth the amount of force it is taking in your particular situation.
Question

I'm using all the methods but the best I can get is a barely audible noise, not even much of a pop. Any way I can change how I'm doing it? Maybe I'm not doing it hard enough?

Community Answer

It takes time, get into the habit of trying to pop your knuckles in the morning right after you wake up. Your hands will be stiff and therefore will have a better chance of cracking. Once you crack them once it will get easier every time you try.

Warnings

A few people are very annoyed by cracking fingers. As a courtesy, try not to do this near those people.

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Do not pull on you fingers too strongly to crack them, as this can be harmful and cause a lot of pain.

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If you find you're getting into the habit of cracking your knuckles repeatedly, try to understand why and deal with that first. Frequent knuckle-cracking is quite often a sign of an underlying stress or anxiety.

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The people whose hands are twisted, with gnarled fingers are likely to be suffering from rheumatic arthritis. This is a condition unrelated to cracking your knuckles, where your own immune system begins attacking your joints, causing inflammation and damage to the bones.

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While cracking your knuckles does NOT cause arthritis, one medical study showed that frequent knuckle crackers suffered soft tissue damage, and deterioration can become a bad habit if done excessively.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public
Go to source}

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