For many generations “cracking your knuckles” we were told was gonna keep you from getting those rings on your fingers. Who hasn’t seen the gnarled hands of athletes in their many sports ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_joints
Why do people do it?
Studies show that as many as 54 percent of people crack their knuckles. They do it for a lot of reasons, including:
- Sound. Some people like hearing the sound knuckle cracking makes.
- The way it feels. Some people think cracking their knuckles makes more room in the joint, which relieves tension and increases mobility. However, although it may feel like there’s more room, there’s no evidence that there actually is.
- Nervousness. Just like wringing your hands or twirling your hair, cracking your knuckles may be a way to occupy your hands when you’re nervous.
- Stress. Some people who are stressed need to take it out on something. Cracking knuckles may allow for diversion and release without actually causing harm.
- Habit. Once you start cracking your knuckles for any of these reasons, it’s easy to keep doing it until it happens without even thinking about it. When you find yourself unconsciously cracking your knuckles many times a day, it’s become a habit. People who do it five times a day or more are called habitual knuckle crackers.