Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis

Background: previous studies have not shown a correlation between knuckle cracking (kc) and hand osteoarthritis (oa). however,one study showed an inverse correlation between kc and metacarpophalangeal joint oa. methods: we conducted a retrospective case-control study among persons aged 50 to 89 years who received a radiograph of the right hand during the last 5 years. patients had radiographically proven hand oa,and controls did not. participants indicated frequency,duration,and details of their kc behavior and known risk factors for hand oa. results: the prevalence of kc among 215 respondents (135 patients,80 controls) was 20%. when examined in aggregate,the prevalence of oa in any joint was similar among those who crack knuckles (18.1%) and those who do not (21.5%; p = .548). when examined by joint type,kc was not a risk for oa in that joint. total past duration (in years) and volume (daily frequency x years) of kc of each joint type also was not significantly correlated with oa at the respective joint. conclusions: a history of habitual kc - including the total duration and total cumulative exposure - does not seem to be a risk factor for hand oa.