Need to stop popping my joints...

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PrincessMorticia
PrincessMorticia Posts: 96 Member
in Chit-Chat
It's an addiction, I swear! I am helplessly addicted to popping every joint in my body that I can possibly manipulate, up to 20 times a day each; possibly more. Especially my lower spine vertebrae and tail bone. I pop my toes, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, neck, jaw....every chance I can get.

I've noticed that my body feels more stiff, too. I assume it's due to inflammation caused by the constant popping (the arthritis bit is an old wives' tale, before anyone tries to tell me I have arthritis from it, lol). Does anyone else on here have a similar joint-popping obsession? I want to try to stop popping my joints so much, but I get very anxious if I haven't popped something in a while. When I think about a part of my body and realize I haven't popped it in a few minutes, it's like my body is screaming at me to pop it.

I think it's taking a toll on my muscles though, big time. I feel very sore and stiff (keep in mind I'm only 23) and it's keeping me from exercising as much! Any advice on ways to kill this habit? I've probably popped 20 different joints while writing this, and I know it's mega unhealthy, lol.

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  • nomorewishing
    nomorewishing Posts: 250 Member
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    I do too :frown: I can pop my toes and my ankles for hours on end and not even realize I'm doing it. I used to pop my fingers too, but they started hurting me so I quit. :ohwell:
  • dillard_kelly
    dillard_kelly Posts: 19
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    I habitually do that as well.. I am 36 and my lower back around my tail bone is shot... stop doing that one ! I am paying for it and have a herniated disc due to my obessiveness... I try to control but it is hard. My coworkers yell at me during the day because I get nervous and pop my fingers when the stress hits... I dont even know I am doing it.

    Anyway, you may want to get checked by your dr. for OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder... I know that sounds corny but there are ways to control your habits but yours sounds more than a habit.... it sounds obsessive and out of control.

    Good luck to you !

    Kelly:wink:
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    I doubt your stiffness is due to cracking your joints. The reason your "joints" crack is because of a small fluid filled bubble the consistency of honey. When you hear that crack, it's the sound of the bubble bursting. Don't worry, it reforms quickly. There's nothing wrong with it but the slightly annoying sound :D
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,720 Member
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    Same with me. I'm double jointed so I'm very loosely held together as it is. I crack everything. I suffer from chronic inflamation too. They aren't supposed to be related. You're not actually "cracking" anything. But who knows? I'm no doctor...
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
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    I do too!
  • PrincessMorticia
    PrincessMorticia Posts: 96 Member
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    I habitually do that as well.. I am 36 and my lower back around my tail bone is shot... stop doing that one ! I am paying for it and have a herniated disc due to my obessiveness... I try to control but it is hard. My coworkers yell at me during the day because I get nervous and pop my fingers when the stress hits... I dont even know I am doing it.

    Anyway, you may want to get checked by your dr. for OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder... I know that sounds corny but there are ways to control your habits but yours sounds more than a habit.... it sounds obsessive and out of control.

    Good luck to you !

    Kelly:wink:

    That might actually be a good idea. It is definitely an obsession. I've even migrated to obsessing over popping others' joints when mine have all popped recently and I can't get any of them to give a good loud SNAP. My boyfriend and his poor back are paying for all of this, lol. I do know that popping my tailbone like I do is in particularly important. I was seeing a chiropractor a couple years ago and my spinal x-ray looked like it was forming into an "S"...he said it was from the joints becoming more elastic from the popping...that the more you pop them, the softer the cushion between the bones gets, and that's why my spine wasn't perfectly straight. But oh my...popping my tailbone the way that I've been doing it is just...wow. Not to be crude, but it's at least as good if not better than sex when that tailbone pops. I popped it in the bathtub last night (the hot water helps a lot and the hard tub help me position my tailbone just right when I stretch) and after it and about 5 vertebrae all popped at once---I was in my own little world. I'll be reminiscing about that one for days and days. Haha. Yeah so anyway, an OCD specialist might not actually be that far-fetched. I'll have to call my insurance about that one :P Good to know there are many others with a similar love for it. I knew that plenty of people love popping their joints of course, but knowing that I'm not the only one that is so "into" it is relieving.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
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    How do you do that? Pop your joints? Never mind maybe I don't want to know anyway. :laugh: My son pops his fingers quite a bit and it's kind of irritating. He also pops his neck. I think my joints are too old to pop or something. I've tried streching my neck to see if I could pop joints but nothing happens. :laugh: :ohwell:
  • PrincessMorticia
    PrincessMorticia Posts: 96 Member
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    How do you do that? Pop your joints? Never mind maybe I don't want to know anyway. :laugh: My son pops his fingers quite a bit and it's kind of irritating. He also pops his neck. I think my joints are too old to pop or something. I've tried streching my neck to see if I could pop joints but nothing happens. :laugh: :ohwell:

    If you don't do it, it's hard to start. My b/f for example, cracks his knuckles, but nothing else. And I'm always begging to pop his back. At first it might pop once, if that, and he was worried I'd break him, lol. But now at least a few pop and he kinda likes it. More than he cares to admit, I think. :P
  • sjostrich
    sjostrich Posts: 117 Member
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    I'm a joint-crack addict! :P I do pretty much everything: neck, back, hips, fingers, toes. Other than occasionally freaking people out around me no harm done! Joint poppers unite!

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