when one breaks the knuckles of their fingers or toes,whats the sound that is heard? serious answers pls.?
396652
If you've ever laced your fingers together, turned your palms away from you and bent your fingers back, you know what knuckle popping sounds like. Joints produce that CRACK when bubbles burst in the fluid surrounding the joint.\n\nJoints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you are causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.\n\nIt takes about 25-30 minutes for the gas to redissolve into the joint fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles will not crack. Once the gas is redissolved, cavitation is once again possible, and you can start popping your knuckles again.\n\nAs for the harms associated with this habit, according to Anatomy and Physiology Instructors' Cooperative, only one in-depth study regarding the possible detriments of knuckle popping has been published. This study, done by Raymond Brodeur and published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, examined 300 knuckle crackers for evidence of joint damage. The results revealed no apparent connection between joint cracking and arthritis; however, habitual knuckle poppers did show signs of other types of damage, including soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. This damage is most likely a result of the rapid, repeated stretching of the ligaments surrounding the joint. A professional baseball pitcher experiences similar, although obviously heightened, effects in the various joints of his pitching arm. But assuming you haven't signed a multimillion dollar contract to constantly pop your knuckles, it hardly seems worth the possible risk to your joints.\n\nOn the positive side, there is evidence of increased mobility in joints right after popping. When joints are manipulated, the Golgi tendon organs (a set of nerve endings involved in humans' motion sense) are stimulated and the muscles surrounding the joint are relaxed. This is part of the reason why people can feel "loose" and invigorated after leaving the chiropractor's office, where cavitation is induced as part of the treatment. Backs, knees, elbows and all other movable joints are subject to the same kind manipulation as knuckles are.
88152
Cracking knuckles is the practice of manipulating one's fingers such that the hand (most usually the knuckle joint) produces a sharp sound, likened to cracking (also likened to popping, etc). To produce the sounds, many people will bend their fingers into unusual positions, or manipulate them in ways which are not commonly experienced in everyday use. For example, bending the fingers right back towards the back of the hand, or pulling them away from the hand.\n\nIn many early motion pictures and subsequently parodied in animated cartoons, the gesture of cracking knuckles was associated with a "tough guy" image, especially when accompanied by the implicit or explicit threat of violence.\n\nThe physical mechanism is unknown, but possibilities that have been suggested include:\n\ncavitation within the joint – small cavities of partial vacuum form in the fluid then rapidly collapse, producing a sharp sound (hypothesis in a medical journal) \nthe sudden stretching of ligaments (hypothesis by one reader of that journal) \nrelease of gas from the joints being adjusted (this applies to the popping that can occur in any joint such as during chiropractic manipulation) \nA single event is not enough to cause damage to the joint, although it is possible that prolonged joint stress due to cracking knuckles may eventually lead to a higher risk of joint damage. The long-term consequences of this practice have not been studied thoroughly, and the scientific evidence is inconclusive. However, the common parental advice "Cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis" may be simply a device to deter children from this practice, which many people find annoying because of the sound it makes. In actual fact, study by Castellanos and Axelrod showed that arthritis was not a product of knuckle cracking. They evaluated 300 consecutive outpatients at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital to determine whether habitual knuckle cracking is a risk factor for hand dysfunction. They found no relation with osteoarthritis, but noted that 'knuckle crackers were more likely to have hand swelling and lower grip strength.'\n\nA chiropractic perspective:\n\n"As a joint is being distracted, the capsule invaginates inward and as the stress on the capsule reaches a certain threshold, it suddenly snaps back from the synovial fluid, increasing the volume of the capsule (and decreasing pressure) and causing the audible sound. The sudden increase in the volume causes the tension to drop, allowing the joint to increase in movement. Eventually, the elastic limit of the capsule is reached and the process stops. The time elapsed during all this is shorter than that required for completion of the stretch reflex, so it can occur without muscular resistance. The sudden jerk on the capsule and the other periarticular tissues is theorized to cause firing of the high-threshold mechanoreceptors."
621235
Not broken (otherwise excruciating pain), but sprained.\n\nSwelling should slowly subside - finger will probably turn several shades of purple.\n\nIf it starts getting painful - go see an MD.
1180661
when you "crack your knuckles", you are actually popping blood pockets in the joints, where no bones exist.\n\nyou are most likely popping these same bubbles where blood fills the tissue.  rock on
735824
No - that is a myth.  When your fingers or other bones pop, unless you have an actual problem, it's just air between the joints.  It is not damaging and will not make your "knuckles" get big --  it's just a myth
638485
The Real Deal on Cracking Your Kuckles\nWhat's really happening when you "crack" your knuckles is that you are either pushing the joint back into or out of its normal position. Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones which are held together by connecting tissues and ligaments. A thick, clear lubricant (made mostly of carbon dioxide and some nitrogen) called synovial fluid is found between the bones. When you stretch or pull your finger to get that desired popping noise, you are causing the bones to pull apart. Pressure is reduced on the synovial fluid and bubbles form that quickly expand and then burst - which is why you get that noise.\n\nDoes Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis?\nNot everybody's joints crack. Some people have a larger separation between the bones and some people can't relax enough to allow the bones to separate. If you can crack and your mom tells you, you're going to get arthritis, she's just yanking your chain. There is no scientific evidence that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. However, it can't be good to repeatedly push a joint beyond its normal physical range. Besides that, it's annoying. Cracking your knuckles can cause a decrease in your grip but unless you're signing any multi-million dollar contracts as a pitcher, it's not worth giving up. But it's still annoying.
137768
As a teenager ( a couple of years ago! ) I smashed my finger in the car door.  It bled terribly.  My uncle took a sterilized knife and bore a small hole into the nail to relieve the pressure.  It remained horribly purple for weeks and the nail came off.  Another nail replaced it, although it did take a while.
269390
When you rub your wet finger over the rim, you're vibrating the rim. Sound is just vibration of air, so if the resonant frequency of the glass is right, it will make a clear tone.
380833
Absolutely NOT.\n\nWhat's really happening when you "crack" your knuckles is that you are either pushing the joint back into or out of its normal position. Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones which are held together by connecting tissues and ligaments. A thick, clear lubricant (made mostly of carbon dioxide and some nitrogen) called synovial fluid is found between the bones. When you stretch or pull your finger to get that desired popping noise, you are causing the bones to pull apart. Pressure is reduced on the synovial fluid and bubbles form that quickly expand and then burst - which is why you get that noise. \n\nDoes Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis?\n\nThere is no scientific evidence that cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. However, it can't be good to repeatedly push a joint beyond its normal physical range. Besides that, it's annoying. Cracking your knuckles can cause a decrease in your grip.
334981
scream oh sh/it and then go to the doctor if its broken.
292399
The "popping" of the knuckles results from forcing joint fluid to\nvery rapidly pass from one side of the joint to the other, where the\n"sides" are partitioned off by the main bones of the joint.  Let me\nrephrase that: a joint is an area where two or more separate and distinct\nbones meet.  The joint fluid provides a cushioning between the joints\nso that they don't grate into each other.  Cracking your knuckles forces\nthe joint fluid from one part of the joint to another, and the popping\nsound is just the result of the high pressured rushing of fluid.
834017
Don't worried about it, eventually you'll forget about it.\nIt's NOT bad cracking your knuckles, it just air between the cartilages, in fact is a good thing. It releases tension.
815508
Cracking your knuckles will make them bigger?\n\n Well kind of...... By cracking your knuckles, what you are doing is pushing the joint beyond its physiological stop sign, or further than its range of motion would normally allow for. This puts undue stress on the ligaments and tendons that hold the joint together and in place. Ligaments behave a little like rubber bands---you can pull and stretch them a lot; but, eventually they won't return to their original shape and length.
26469
I used to do that when I was younger, but not anymore.  If you can stem up the willpower and not crack your knuckles for a couple of months.  It should be harder to do, and not feel confortable doing.  \n\nI've heard it causes arthritis, but I've taken the liberty to do a search.  \nHere is a small quote from the article listed at the website below: "Kids may develop a habit of cracking their knuckles because they like the sound. The "crack" comes because of a change in the synovial fluid, the lubricant that bathes the joints. When finger bones are suddenly stretched apart, the space between the joints widens, and an air bubble forms in the synovial fluid. The bubble quickly bursts and makes a sharp sound."\n\nApparently, there is no proven link between cracking knuckles and arthritis.
689779
My doc said it was normal to hear cracks every now and then...joints are supposed to move around (like when your back cracks when you stretch).\nMost of the time, the popping noise heard when you 'crack' joints is simply gas bubbles being forced out of cavities within the joint.\nIn such cases, there is little or no damage done, even in people who do it for fun.
233628
Getting arthritis from popping your knuckles is just an old myth that most people still buy into.  There are no adverse effects ... other than possibly annoying people around you who hear you doing it.
1161772
The knuckles on your hands.