knuckle cracking

I was in std 1 and my friend taught me this sin. the habit of knuckle cracking.. you know what i mean...lacing yr fingers together then straightening them til you POP or crack. that feeling of relief is immense and soooo satisfying. i was addicted. my fingers always feel bloated and when i crack them (not only the knuckles, but every single joint), i feel more dextrous and it actually relieves stress. same concept applies to massage, me thinks. hey, they crack their joints during massages too. mine, according to dearest, is exceptionally loud. yes im aware of it and im not cracking my knuckles to annoy you but to relieve myself. i remember during uni exam days where we sat in this convocation hall to take the test. it is a huge hall and my knuckle cracking resonated everytime i answered a page. ha...bet that was annoying.

soon, knuckle cracking was not enough, i proceeded to:

• neck cracking
• spine cracking
• ankle cracking
• ear cracking (thats cartilege and difficult to crack but its very satisfying, i promise)
• toes cracking (thanks to karate this is part of our exercise)

and i'm so glad to google the cause of knuckle cracking and discovering that there is no side effects, except perhaps harm from people who get annoyed with the sound.

"Cracking your knuckles (or any of your joints) can have therapeutic benefits. When you crack one of your joints you are pulling the bones that are connected at the joint apart from each other. This process stimulates your tendons, relaxes your muscles, and loosens your joints. Chiropractors do this for spinal joints when your back is sore and stiff, but you can do this on your own for your knuckles, toes, knees, neck, etc. Cracking your knuckles will never lead to arthritis "

How does this work? Your joints, the places in your body where you can bend, are where your bones intersect and are held together by ligaments. These joints are surrounded by a liquid called synovial fluid. When you stretch your ligaments by pulling the bones apart to crack your knuckles a gas in the synovial fluid escapes and turns into a bubble. This process is called cavitation. Cavitation ends when the bubble eventually bursts, producing that popping sound we know and love.

unfortunately according to the article it causes reduced grip strength, i can live with that.