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Knuckle cracking solved?

MRI data supports proposal from 1947

Good news: Scientists think they know what makes knuckles crack.

How did we not know that already? It turns out the subject has actually been a topic of debate for more than half a century. In a study published in PLOS, researchers report they finally just threw those ivory ticklers into an MRI scanner to see what was going on. They still have to confirm their findings, but they believe the sound that we hear when cracking knuckle joints is caused by the formation of a bubble in joint fluid.

Maybe you’ve heard that one before: It was proposed as an explanation for the popping back in 1947. But in 1971, another group of researchers claimed it was actually the collapse of that bubble that made the noise, not the formation. In the new study, University of Alberta researchers claim that modern-imaging technology actually supported the older theory.

“There have always been these warring camps: The formation of the bubble makes the sound or the collapse of the bubble makes the sound,” said Greg Kawchuk, the findings’ lead author.

The study came about when chiropractor Jerome Fryer approached Kawchuk about the prevalent theories, and the men realized that no one had ever examined the phenomenon closely using MRI technology.

In addition to serving as a co-author for the research, Fryer served as its sole subject: He’s apparently great at cracking on command.

With just one participant (even though he offered up all 10 fingers) and no sound recording in the MRI machine, the study is far from a conclusive end to the debate. But in every single test crack, the formation of a cavity was seen at the exact moment the sound was heard.



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