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Hi all,

Another random question post, but what has anyone heard about the cons (if any) of popping joints? I have 2 meanings: First, just the general popping joints like knuckles, neck, etc... Have ther been any studies to link it to arthritis? Is it going to hurt your joints in the long run?

And Second (and more workout related), is a popping joint bad while lifting if there is no pain to go along with it?

My right shoulder pops with almost every DB bench press rep i do. It doesn't hurt at all, and the joint itself is not sore the next day, so is it ok to push through the popping? Or will that cause joint problems down the road?

Thoughts?
Thanks!

First question, I don't think anyone knows. I've heard warnings about this since I was a kid. It would be really hard to do a study over enough years to really show anything about this. I've popped my knuckles a lot all my life, and now I have arthritis. However, my right knee is my most severely-affected joint, followed by my right talo-calcaneal and my right third distal interphalangeal joint, which yes, I can pop. So if popping is the cause of OA, then how did it end up in 2 joints which have never been popped. There is also the possibility that popping causes joint damage that is different than OA.

For your second question, I also think that no one knows for sure. I think there is at least a possibility that this will eventually develop into something painful. If whatever is being tweeked gets tweeked enough, it may become inflamed and painful. Can you find any variation in your technique that minimizes the popping (arm angle, ROM, etc)? I also have a shoulder pop that occurs with some movements, but I can get away from it by keeping my shoulder in a few degrees of transverse adduction.

My suggestion is to try to find a way to eliminate the popping, and pay attention, and stop at the first hint of pain.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

no pain = no worries

A doctor in the states cracked knuckles unilaterally on his own hand for 50 years. No unilateral symptoms.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... k-research

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don't you know there ain't no devil
that's just god when he's drunk

Great study!

_________________
Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan