Mumbai, January 21 (IANS). If a child or an adult repeatedly cracks his fingers, then it is often heard that cracking fingers causes pain in the joints, bones become weak, and in the future, it can lead to serious diseases like arthritis. For years, it has been established in the minds of people that cracking fingers is a wrong and harmful habit, but scientific research has a different opinion on this.
According to science, when we bend or stretch our fingers, there is movement in a special fluid present between our joints. This fluid is called synovial fluid. This fluid lubricates our joints, so that they can move easily. When the fingers are cracked, the small gas bubbles formed in this fluid suddenly burst, due to which a cracking sound is heard, that is, this sound is not of bones breaking or joints getting damaged.
If we understand this according to Ayurveda, then Ayurveda looks at the body by linking it with three doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Fingers and joints are considered to be related to Vata dosha. If Vata is balanced, the joints remain flexible and strong. Cracking fingers occasionally does not worsen Vata dosha, especially when the body is healthy. But if Vata is already unbalanced, that is, the person has problems with pain, swelling or stiffness in the joints, then cracking fingers can increase the problem.
Every person’s body is not the same. For people who are completely healthy, whose bones are strong and who do not have any kind of pain in their joints, cracking fingers is generally not considered harmful. But for people who already suffer from arthritis, high uric acid, swelling or bone weakness, cracking fingers can put additional pressure on the joints.
Some people also consider cracking fingers as a way of relieving stress. When a person is nervous or restless, it unconsciously becomes a habit. Science believes that this can make the mind feel relaxed for a while, but it is not a cure. If stress is causing frequent cracking of fingers, then measures like meditation, deep breathing and yoga should be adopted.
–IANS
PK/AS
