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Understanding Orthopedic Treatments

Hey everyone, my name is Belinda. When I was a young girl, I injured the muscles in my legs performing complex gymnastic moves. I was under the care of an orthopedist for several months during the recovery period. I had to complete a number of strengthening exercises to regain my range of motion and mobility. The orthopedist performed regular examinations to determine if the given treatment was working. I will use this site to talk about different orthopedic treatments. I hope you will visit my site often to learn about this fascinating subject.

Understanding Orthopedic Treatments

Busting Orthopedic Myths: Knuckle Popping And Arthritis

by Stanley Pierce

Arthritis is a serious orthopedic problem that affects millions of Americans every year. Its causes can often seem mysterious to many people, which has caused a weird variety of myths about where it begins. One of the strangest of these myths is the idea that knuckle popping is connected with arthritis.

Does Knuckle Popping Cause Arthritis?

Popping your knuckles has absolutely no effect on arthritis. The origination of this myth is unknown, but it may have something to do with the loudness of the act. People may have connected those loud "cracks" with the sensations of arthritis or the cracking sounds caused by problematic joint health.

However, there's no connection between "cracking" your knuckles and arthritis in your fingers. Knuckle cracking appears to occur when you pull nitrogen into the joint, which causes it to get popped between the bones of the joint. Arthritis is caused by inflammation of the joints – which is caused by a persistent medical problem, not by popping nitrogen.

What Does Cause Arthritis?

Arthritis is a persistent medical problem that causes the joints around your knuckles to get inflamed. It typically occurs after an injury, infection of the body, or immune system dysfunction, but it can also be inherited from family members or caused by a metabolism issue; so, if your mother had arthritis, there's a good chance you'll end up with it as well. There are also a variety of risk factors associated with arthritis, including:

  • Aging – the older you get, the more your risk increases
  • Being a woman – 60 percent of all arthritis victims are female
  • Joint injuries – damage to your hands and knuckles may cause arthritis to form
  • Infection by bacteria – common if your hand is injured near the joint
  • Career – a job that requires you to use your finger joints regularly may cause arthritis

Does Popping Knuckles Help With Arthritis?

Another common misconception is that popping your knuckles will actually help relieve arthritis pain. That's also not true. Remember, there's no connection to arthritis pain and knuckle popping. If you've felt relief after popping your knuckles, it was likely a placebo effect i.e. you felt better because you wanted to feel better.

Arthritis is typically treated through various orthopedic methods, including various healing medications, massages, and joint manipulations. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary, especially if more conservative treatments have been ineffective in treating your severe knuckle-based arthritis pain.

So if you have arthritis and you're worried that popping your knuckles either caused it or will worsen it, you don't have to fret. However, you still need to get effective treatment to ensure that you can live a happy and healthy life. Get in touch with a place like El Camino Center for Sports Medicine​ to learn more information 

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