Joints cracking

palo

Hi everyone,

When does the cracking stop? My hands, wrists, knees, feet and ankles all crack painfully.How long does this go on for?

Thank you

littlemimmy

Hi Palo,

I'm wondering the same thing, as my hands, wrists and ankles crack constantly and I'm sick of it!

I did mention it to my rheumy nurse, but she looked at me like I'd asked about a second head!

So if anyone does know, that would be great.

Kay

palo

I read recently that it is an early sign of the arthritis developing, so I am thinking there must come a point when you get beyond it, as they also say once the deformity of the joints is finished the pain stops and only the active disease hurts!!!

Of course this is all new to me - the information - not the pain!!!

dreamdaisy

Cracking joints is one of the normal things of life and not arthritis-related (I think it's to do with naturally-occuring bubbles of nitrogen). It is an urban myth that those who enjoy cracking their knuckles on a regular basis will develop arthritis in their hands which probably arose as people wanted explanations of why this or that has happened.

One of the problems we all face is that when the usual hiccups of life rock up (and they do) we immediately think it related to whatever condition we are dealing with. As for pain diminishing fused joints (whether done by a surgeon or naturally by the body) are, so I believe, far less painful if not pain-free because the joint is fixed in one position. DD

palo

DD There was a scientific study that came out recently that reported cracking joints (in conjunction with pain) is a precursor to arthritis, although cracking joints per se is not necessarily so, which is why I asked the question.

dreamdaisy

Oh, was there? I didn't know, thank you for the info, it will be interesting to see how they researched such an individual thing. My knees are noisy on occasion but painlessly so. DD

palo

My joints are very noisy - loud enough for anyone else in the room to hear, and painful too. It used to only be my knee and but is now much more extensive.

I don't know the details it was in the Times or Telegraph can't remember which, and just a brief piece not an abstract or whole study details, think it was last week.

It spoke of the difference in the sound being an indicator of progression or extent, but, like I say, it was just a short piece.

daffy2

Crepitus usually is not a cause for concern. In fact, most people’s joints crack or pop occasionally, and that is considered normal. But if crepitus is regular and is accompanied by pain, swelling, or other concerning symptoms, it may be an indication of arthritis or another medical condition.

This seems to summarise the situation, and perhaps there is work being done to try and better identify the circumstances where crepitus needs to be investigated as being an indicator of problems.