If snap, crackle, and pop aren’t just sounds coming from your breakfast cereal, you may have wondered if these cracking noises you hear from your joints (ankles, shoulders, or knees) are normal.

Whether it’s one or all of your knuckles, you may wonder what causes the cracking sound. Although interesting, “cracking joints” and “popping knuckles” are not fully understood. In fact, cracking ...

We have all done it—cracked our knuckles, twisted our neck, or popped a shoulder just for that oddly satisfying click. And chances are, someone nearby immediately gasped, “Stop that! You’ll get ...

Roshini Raj, MD, is Health's former magazine's medical editor and coauthor of What the Yuck?!. Board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine, Dr. Raj is a Clinical Associate Professor of ...

It’s quite common to hear your knees crack when you stand up or your knuckles pop as you stretch your fingers. These sounds, often described as snapping, clicking, or popping, are medically known as ...

Occasionally cracking your knuckles or other joints is very common and usually not harmful. If it is accompanied by pain or swelling or follows an injury, it may be caused by an underlying condition.

Everyone is familiar with cracking knuckles or joints. It is an extremely common habit that creates a popping sound. Sometimes, constant popping sound of the knuckles may aggravate some people, and ...

Gently or occasionally cracking your neck may not cause any harm. But doing it incorrectly, too frequently, or too forcefully can actually cause more pain or discomfort. Cracking your joints is a ...

We've all heard the theory that cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis. Generations of parents warn click-prone children that their habit will land them with painful hands in old age. But while ...

Neil Tuttle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

That familiar symphony of pops, cracks, and creaks emanating from your joints wasn’t nearly as prominent in your twenties as it is now. Whether it’s your knees announcing your arrival when you stand ...

"Pull my finger," a phrase embraced by school-aged kids and embarrassing uncles the world over, is now being used to settle a decades-long debate about what happens when you crack your knuckles.