A Bad Habit

Okay, okay -- I have more than one bad habit, but this is the one I've been thinking about lately: popping my knuckles.

I've gotten to the point of annoyance, probably. It feels like an uncontrollable urge sometimes. I'll feel like it's that time for cavitation* again, and all I can think is, "must. pop. now." So what ends up happening is a situation like this: I'm sitting in a meeting at work where only one person is talking. He'll pause for a moment, and that moment is completely silent because nobody likes to talk during meetings, and everyone is paying attention to the speaker. He might be logging onto the internet and bringing up a page for all of us to view. Silence. POP!

Or I could be in church during fast and testimony meeting. There's a lull in the testimony-bearing. Silence. POP!

And my pops are loud, too. I don't know how I got to this point. I do remember being introduced to the practice. I must've been about 6 years old. I saw my sister Cami popping her knuckles and asked her what she was doing. "Here, I'll show you," she enthusiasticly replied. So I started popping. I guess at first it was out of amusement. But then Lexi and I started taking piano lessons, and I realized I had naturally kicked the habit.

What happened when I stopped playing the piano? You guessed it -- back to popping. I stopped for the 3 years that I played the clarinet, too. What once was a habit of amusement turned into a habit of finding something to do with my hands. I like to be moving them. When I'm reading, I constantly wring my hands and try to pop my fingers, knowing full well that you can't pop the same knuckle twice without waiting a little while.

But I've got to stop! I'm ruining my soft tissue, and my knuckles are getting fat! What are your suggestions, readers? Do you have any crazy habits that you just can't quit?

*Contrary to popular belief, knuckle-popping does not cause arthritis. At least, no scientific study has been conducted thus far that proves otherwise. All of our joints are surrounded by a thick, clear liquid called synovial fluid. When you stretch or bend your finger, the joints pull apart, and the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching the capsule, the volume increases, which causes a decrease in pressure. This decrease in pressure causes the dissolved gases in the synovial fluid (e.g., carbon dioxide and nitrogen) to be less soluble and form bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that the bubbles pop. It takes about 25-30 minutes for the gas to redissolve into the fluid. During this period of time, your knuckles will not crack. Once the gas is redissolved, cavitation is once again possible.

In one scientific study, knuckle poppers did show signs of soft tissue damage and a decrease in grip strength, though no apparent connection to arthritis. There is evidence, however, of increased mobility right after popping. (Read more at How Stuff Works, which is [only] one place I went to research this.)

Thing I'm thankful for: science research.