Cracking....

Ok seriously....does cracking body parts do damage?
I've read that it does and it doesn't.
I've been dancing for 15 years now and I pop and don't even do it on purpose...what's the deal...and it hurts if I don't crack certain body parts. Anyone else know about this stuff?

The sound you are hearing is from the creation of bubbles in the fluid that lubricates your joints by a process known as cavitation. When you move a joint through a range of motion sufficient to increase the distance between its two "wear" surfaces, the drop in fluid pressure causes gas to be released. It's basically harmless; the bubbles cause no problems...and the process can actually benefit joint health in some ways. Some people consider it rude public behavior though.

If there is anything to be careful about, it is in how you move through the joint's range of motion to get them to "crack." Never "bounce" against the joint ("ballistic stretching") in order to get it to loosen up...cartilage and/or tendon damage can result, not to mention micro-tears in the fibers of teh corresponding muscles. Also, if you are stretching your neck to loosen the vertebrae and thereby ward off a headache, leaning back into your open palm placed just beneath the base of your skull is much safer (and more likely to result in properly aligned vertebrae) than the quick "twisting" motion you see some people use.

thanks!
what about fingers?

One of my good friends used to work for a chiropractic office for 5 years and he says that cracking your knuckles doesn't do any harm at all. I always wondered if it was bad or not.......all those rumers about your knuckles getting fat and your fingers getting crooked I was beginning to believe! Therefore, we are safe to crack.. :-)

Good! Because if I don't crack I hurt :(

I cracked my knuckles when I was kid and teenager. My knuckles becames larger than they were susposed to be. Now that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, that is where it really hurts. PLEASE don't pop your knuckles... you will regret it, I promise.
Barbara