Loosening of joints from long term cracking/pulling?



  • Hey. I'm Amanda. This is my first time finding this forum. I didn't realize there were so many other habitual crackies out there, I thought it was just me. I've been cracking my back since I was about 8. Then progressing to my fingers – 3 different ways for each finger -- and both of my thumbs (both pulling and pushing) my toes, elbows, neck, feet, knees, top of my legs (i.e popping at the top of my femur bone) as well as my wrists and shoulders. I also occasionally can "crack" the cartilage in the bridge of my nose.

    I'm now 21 so I've been doing this for many years, several times a day. I noticed now that if I lightly tug on the various joints in my fingers, they feel lose. Does anyone else get like this or know what to do about it? I'm guessing i need to strengthen the tendons. I don't have any pain, but I do have a frequent unsolicited, unwanted clicking in my arms at the elbow, in my legs, and sometimes in my fingers, my thumbs particularly. I'm trying to stop but I can't seem to do this...I'm like OCD with it or something. It just annoys the crap out of me if I don't crack a joint that feels like it wants to crack.

    What about everyone else? Is this common? Anyone else crack the top of their arm by pulling it away from the shoulder?



  • no with me its mainly my big toes and my neck/back.

    but OCD is apparently linked to cracking - there's quite a few posts on here about it if you take a look 😎



  • Yes, i lie on my bed with my shoulder hunched then move it down or to the side away from the shoulder.

    How do you crack your femur?



  • @Blaze:

    Yes, i lie on my bed with my shoulder hunched then move it down or to the side away from the shoulder.

    How do you crack your femur?

    I have two ways of cracking my femur (I guess it's my femur…it's at the top of my leg where the femur connects.) The most satisfactory way occurs when I am standing -- if I apply pressure to one of the legs until I feel that pressure feeling there, and then I slowly turn my upper body at the hip against the pressure feeling, it will pop. That way isn't as easy, but feels best.

    The other way that I do it gets both legs done at the same time. I just lay down flat and squeeze my legs together and they both pop.



  • @neuropandemonium:

    @Blaze:

    Yes, i lie on my bed with my shoulder hunched then move it down or to the side away from the shoulder.

    How do you crack your femur?

    I have two ways of cracking my femur (I guess it's my femur…it's at the top of my leg where the femur connects.) The most satisfactory way occurs when I am standing -- if I apply pressure to one of the legs until I feel that pressure feeling there, and then I slowly turn my upper body at the hip against the pressure feeling, it will pop. That way isn't as easy, but feels best.

    The other way that I do it gets both legs done at the same time. I just lay down flat and squeeze my legs together and they both pop.

    when you squeeze your legs together do you mean the knees touch?
    i've tried that before but its painful for me!



  • Oh, i think i may have done that before but as Bod8 says - that hurts!



  • @Blaze:

    Oh, i think i may have done that before but as Bod8 says - that hurts!



  • Not cool in this case.



  • yeah well said actually



  • Thank you



  • Back to the thread title, yes i think maybe tendons would get weakened but i'm not sure so don't quote me on that.
    although you can quote this post to reply to it if you like 🙂 😞 😮



  • @bod8:

    Back to the thread title, yes i think maybe tendons would get weakened but i'm not sure so don't quote me on that.
    although you can quote this post to reply to it if you like 🙂 😞 😮

    Hah! Yeh i reckon too



  • lol 🙂



  • Don't say don't quote me 😛



  • haha ok 🙂



  • I think I've been stretching out the ligaments that keep my thumbs from tilting backwards. I don't want to ever be sure of that.



  • You can have them cut.


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