@NOEngineer:

I also have a strong, repetitive desire to drink water, eat food, and go to the bathroom due to certain overwhelming signals from my body. Sorry for the sarcasm, but there seems to be an assumption inherent in much of this site that the desire to crack joints is somehow false or contrary to what is healthy.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Perhaps pressure inside the joint is bad. I work in the chemical industry, and relieving excess pressure from tanks and vessels is a requirement to prevent damage to them. An imperfect analogy, I know…
2. Perhaps the pressure is caused by some failure of the joint membranes that allows more ga* * * s to migrate into the joint, and/or less ga* * * s to migrate out. I would assume that the joint is alive, and therefore needs oxygen to be supplied and CO2 to be removed.
3. Alternatively, maybe there is something in the cracker's system that generates more gas inside the joint. Decomposition or other reactions of chemicals can give off gases.

On the other hand, maybe everyone has the same amount of dissolved gas, but different nerve sensitivity to the resulting pressure. Just as some people have sensitivity to noise or light levels that don't bother most humans, maybe crackers have extra sensitivity to pressure. I doubt this is a cause, since my body involuntarily cracks when I stretch, walk, etc. But, maybe I've just loosened up every joint in my body over the years because I have cracked them on purpose so many times due to heightened sensitivity....

Thank you for sharing your theory, NOEngineer! Something to ponder on, for sure!

That would explain why I do it. I'm pretty sensitive to the environment, light sound smell that people can't see smell or feel I do. >< When I need to it feels like I have air bubbles in my joints.

cool

I can crack the very bottom of the thumb/side of my hand by holding it all the way around with my other hand and forcing the thumb upward. Usually the other thumb is placed right in or under the joint to get it to pop in.

yeah i've just had another look and they are pretty strong characteristics

Ohhhhhhh low blow :lol:

I would rather not in the middle :lol:

First post - I signed up partly because of subjects like this. Double-jointed is a misnomer and misleadingly benign. It can prevent injury in some cases, but for most people it increases the overall risk of injury. It probably has contributed to a few chronic injuries of mine. I have faulty connective tissue and encourage anyone who is very hypermobile or somewhat hypermobile and already in pain to seriously look into the matter. I crack, yes, and was wondering if my body weirdness primed me to do for relief.

?

Did everyone know this?
It might explain why it feels so good

lol