Despite the huge scale of external threats to health, a person himself does not mind harming his body. There are a large number of bad habits in the world, one of them is the constant cracking of the joints. Fingers, toes, back, neck and even shoulders - everything goes into action. But whether this habit is so harmless, which is characteristic of many people, no one really knows. And the opinions of doctors, guided by the results of research and conjecture, were divided into pros and cons.
The nature of the sound during joint cracking
Every person in his life at least once encountered this bad habit: someone himself is a crunchy lover, and someone will definitely have such acquaintances. But what really happens to our joints?
From the point of view of physiology, the crunch of the fingers is the sound that occurs as a result of the bursting of gas bubbles, and this sound is in no way connected with the return of the bones to their place, as many people think. When a person cracks his fingers, he sharply reduces the pressure in the interarticular fluid and, as a result, the gas that is there releases air bubbles, and when they burst, we hear such a characteristic sound.
Doctors' views on joint crunching
In this case, the opinions of experts are divided, and everyone is vying to prove their case.
1. Harmless crunch
California doctor Donald Unger conducted an entertaining experiment that lasted no less than 60 years. As a small boy, he set the experience and continued it all his life. In an attempt to prove to his mother that she was wrong, each time scolding him for the bad habit of crunching his fingers, Donald decided to crunch the knuckles of only his left hand, leaving his right hand alone. After 60 years of daily crunching of the joints of his left hand, Donald Unger came to the conclusion that both his hands were in order, but his mother was still mistaken. He disproved the theory that such a habit leads to arthritis or wear and tear of the joints. But still, the doctor, summing up, does not exclude the possibility of the crunch depending on the specifics of each person, his nationality and predisposition to problems with the joints.
2. Harmful crunch
German rheumatologists say with confidence that such a habit is not only harmful to a person, but can also lead to serious problems. They argue that with regular finger crunching, a person not only destabilizes the joints, but also runs the risk of dislocation, pinched nerves or the development of degenerative processes in the tissues, that is, deformation of the fingers.
There is also a widespread belief that arthritis results from this habit. Experts do not undertake to say this one hundred percent. Many claim such a possibility, while others deny this possibility.
How to break the bad habit of crunching joints
Without touching the medical side of the problem, it can be argued that the presence of such a habit annoys others. After all, not everyone is ready to endure unpleasant sounds to their ears throughout the day. As the owners of the habit themselves note, it helps to relax, relieve tension, or simply remove the feeling of fatigue in the joints. But there are effective methods that have the same properties.
In order to break this bad habit, simply repeat these exercises 3-4 times whenever you feel like crunching:
- stretch your fingers, clench your fist and unclench it back;
- let's virtual clicks on the forehead, repeat the exercise on each finger;
- interlace your fingers to make a "lock". Raise your hands in the "lock" up and sharply lower;
- interlace your fingers again in a “lock” and make a wave, starting with the little finger, and then in the opposite direction.
Such simple exercises will give relaxation to your joints, and the desire to crunch will fade into the background.
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