From knuckle pops to neck crunches, joint cracking is common and oddly satisfying. But what’s actually happening inside the ...

Hearing “snap, crackle, pop!” with no visible sign of the Rice Krispie trio can only mean one thing: snapping joints—likely knuckle cracking, to be more specific. Whether or not the sensation happens ...

I’ve got my fair share of unconscious habits: running my hands through my hair, tapping my feet, pursing my lips when I’m concentrating—and, of course, cracking my knuckles. That last one is perhaps ...

The popping sound habitual knuckle crackers make may be annoying — or even alarming — but are they actually harming themselves? The research is somewhat limited but generally concludes that ...

I don’t remember how old I was when I first heard someone say, “Don’t crack your knuckles! It’ll give you arthritis!” But I do know that ever since then, I’ve felt a weird pang of guilt any time I do ...

I was seven years old when I first saw someone with severe rheumatoid arthritis. I had just met one of my grandmother’s cousins, whose swollen joints and gnarled fingers fascinated and terrified me. I ...

Whether you love it or hate it, cracking knuckles is a common habit we've likely all done at some point. It's one of life's simple pleasures for some people, who crave the satisfying "pop" and ...

I have a routine for when I get home from work: Crack each toe, then my ankles, both knees, pelvic bone (a particularly good one), twist-crack my lower back, both shoulders, my wrists, then each and ...

There are many reasons people crack or pop their knuckles. Some do it as a nervous tic, others do it because of restlessness, still others do it to relieve pressure and stiffness and then some, ...

In some households, cracking your knuckles is a declaration of war. Whether you’re in the camp that can’t stand the sound or the one that can’t see what the fuss is about, you might be surprised to ...