Confession and New Goal

Hello. My name is Navdeep Singh, and I am a knuckle-cracker. I’ve been cracking various joints for at least 13 years and have gotten quite good at it. I’m able to crack my neck, jaw, upper back, lower back, elbows, wrists, all three joints in my fingers, hip joints, knees, ankles, and toes. Cracking actually refers to the sound and not the action. What actually happens is we bend the joint in an unnatural way and a bubble of sorts of a particular fluid collapses, causing the cracking/popping sound. The experience that comes with cracking joints is a wonderful thing. Tension subsides and there’s a certain feeling of joint liberation. It starts out as being done for fun and ends up being an addiction. Our joints feel tired and rusty, and a good, quick crack is like a spritz of WD-40 (not a great comparison, because WD-40 lasts a long time and is basically magic). We’re good for a little while, but soon we feel rusty again. Here is where the problem lies.

People have been saying that I’ll get arthritis if I don’t stop, but some online articles have brushed these claims off as an Old Wives’ Tale. Because I’m prone to believe any online article that’s in favour of my beliefs (ha), I kept on cracking. Now, though, I’m seeing and feeling the effects. Squats don’t exist without the constant cracking, as well as other workouts, my fingers hurt in the winter when they’re cold, and some types of knuckle-cracking actually hurt rather than relieve rustiness.Not only that, but my fingers look like worms after eating a whole cherry, being long and slender with a fat mid-section.

So, here it is: I’m done. I will no longer crack my joints on purpose. It’s a bad habit that I’m finally kicking after all these years. I don’t know if I’ll get arthritis as a result of all the cracking, but I know that my quality of life will improve because of stopping. If you do it, take it from me: it’s not healthy and I’d regret it if I didn’t learn such a valuable lesson.

My name is Navdeep Singh, and I was a knuckle-cracker.

God Bless