May 30, 2012
theatlantic: Myth, Busted: Cracking Your Knuckles Won’t Give You Arthritis Obsessive knuckle-crackers are probably familiar with the old warning: keep up the noisy habit, and you’ll get arthritis someday. If you’re like most, though, the thought of aching joints hasn’t stopped you from cracking away, however guiltily. Can cracking your joints really give you chronic osteoarthritis? Or is it just a myth? […] Fed up with being told by family members about the dangers of joint cracking, one researcher decided to test the supposed link between arthritis and knuckle-cracking — on himself: For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously. The scientist proudly reported that his relatives were spreading crackpot (ugh, sorry) theories  in a paper published in 1998. The “research” won him an Ig Nobel Prize. Read more. [Image: orijinal/Flickr]

theatlantic:

Myth, Busted: Cracking Your Knuckles Won’t Give You Arthritis

Obsessive knuckle-crackers are probably familiar with the old warning: keep up the noisy habit, and you’ll get arthritis someday. If you’re like most, though, the thought of aching joints hasn’t stopped you from cracking away, however guiltily.

Can cracking your joints really give you chronic osteoarthritis? Or is it just a myth? […]

Fed up with being told by family members about the dangers of joint cracking, one researcher decided to test the supposed link between arthritis and knuckle-cracking — on himself:

For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously.

The scientist proudly reported that his relatives were spreading crackpot (ugh, sorry) theories  in a paper published in 1998. The “research” won him an Ig Nobel Prize.

Read more. [Image: orijinal/Flickr]

7:54pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Ze2xjxMShIYV
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  1. the-bitchet reblogged this from theatlantic
  2. okorogariist reblogged this from theatlantic
  3. in-fi-ni reblogged this from theatlantic
  4. isthispaleo reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of...left hand at least twice
  5. ptan reblogged this from theatlantic
  6. crocodileblackpelvis reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    THANK GOD, I do this constantly.
  7. cowgirlswag reblogged this from radiationkid
  8. anokarina reblogged this from denverpost and added:
    ooh, thank god I can finally go back to cracking my knuckles (I am not kidding)
  9. effloreo reblogged this from theatlantic
  10. radiationkid reblogged this from olivemeister
  11. gogreenies reblogged this from theatlantic
  12. yellingandcats reblogged this from denverpost and added:
    :D
  13. peribarythron reblogged this from denverpost
  14. pejmanyousefzadeh reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    That’s a relief.
  15. lauraelizabethphelps reblogged this from denverpost
  16. olivemeister reblogged this from citrusunderpressure
  17. citrusunderpressure reblogged this from misterdodo
  18. callmemac reblogged this from misterdodo and added:
    SO COME AT ME!!!
  19. misterdodo reblogged this from denverpost and added:
    woohoo!
  20. denverpost reblogged this from theatlantic
  21. pasky reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    Yeahhhh!!!
  22. becomingbrey reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    close call :P
  23. cynthiahasatumblr reblogged this from theatlantic