Let’s Get Crackin’ – Knuckle Busters Have Better Range Of Motion

Were you the guy that was always in the back of the classroom cracking their knuckles?  How many times did you hear “you’ll hurt your hands if you keep doing that?”  Well, ignore all that.  It may be annoying to others but new findings from the University of California's Davis Medical Center say cracking your knuckles is actually healthy.

CNN reports that researchers studied the hands of knuckle-crackers and non-crackers and found the knuckle-crackers didn't have any hand problems such as swelling or lessened grip strength. In fact, after someone cracked a knuckle, they had an increased range of motion in that knuckle compared to knuckles they hadn't cracked.

The scientists believe when you crack a knuckle, you're pulling apart two surfaces of the joint, which brings down the pressure in the joint.   But remember, it may raise the blood pressure of the people around you!