Can cracking joints be a stim?

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I constantly try to crack my joints -all of them- even right after I've done it. I find the sound and feeling pleasurable, and I get irritated when they won't pop, and try harder or find other joints to pop (I now routinely pop my whole spine, my sternum -it was fractured when I was in HS during a wrestling tournament, and now pops when I flex my shoulders the right way- fingers, toes, elbows (double-jointed) hips, knees and wrists)

Just wondering if this would be considered a stim, even though a ton of people crack things pretty routinely?

I do all of these things too, including my neck. Yes people all do this but when it becomes a routine and causes emotional discomfort when not being able to do it that's another ball game. Stim? Yes.

Sorry, I should have said neck, too, as that's my worst offender, I was just lumping it in "spine"

That's kinda what I figured, it's just difficult to find information on specifically what makes a stim a stim vs. a habit, but I like your explanation, it makes sense to me.

Yes, when done the way you describe, it's a stim. However, this is not a safe, healthy one, so you should look for another one.

Cracking joints on a frequent basis puts a lot of stress and wear and tear on them, especially when you try to force it. This damages them over time. You could eventually get arthritis in those joints. In the case of the neck and spine, you can actually throw them out of alignement, either temporarily, or even permanently. There is even the possibility of a misaligned neck or spine joint impinging on the spinal cord. This can cause pain in the nerves served by that area. It can even cause paralysis. So please, please stop this! Find another, safe stim. If you like the popping noise, try popping bubble wrap. There are many other stims, too. I sometimes twirl utensils or pens. I also bounce a knee up and down while sitting. I have other stims, too, but these are among the less weird looking ones. How about getting a squeeze ball, and squeezing that. If anyone asks why you are doing it, you can just say you are trying to strengthen your hands. Many people use them for that. Some are people who have had injuries, but many athletes also want to strengthen their hands.

So please, find a safer alternative to popping your joints, or at least stop doing the neck and spine joints

I don't see why not. I can see how it could be a stim if you find it soothing or whatnot. Almost any action you do can be a stim if you do it regularly.

I used to pop my shoulder constantly because it was a loose joint but it got to the point that it hurt too much. I had to stop popping my wrist, back, and hip for the same reason too. However, my toes pop every time I bend them and I am always doing it, to the point that they get sore sometimes, and like you said, it bothers me when they won't pop. It's one reason I don't often wear closed toe shoes, because it's hard to pop them then. I don't know enough about this to say it's a stim, but I will say I don't know anyone else who pops joints like this.

~K

I'd say yes. I find the tension release after popping a joint to be quite nice.

So it's officially stimming when you feel bad or restless when you don't do it? I started a similar thread (for me it's picking my fingernails/cuticles, skin flakes, and scabs). I do it all the time and I fit the rest of the AS bill except no traditional stimming, like hand flapping, twirling, stuff like that.

Why I thought you meant cracking joints (as in weed) in half is beyond me... Wow...
I only crack my toes, but only sometimes; I used to do it all the time.

I just do it if my hands become stiff or feel like there's a pocket of air in between the joints. Cracking them makes them feel much more flexible and releases the pressure in the joints. It can qualify as a stim if it's done for a certain purpose, I surmise.

(I feel a need to preface this with: I have no intent to offend or sound rude, I simply don't know how else to phrase what I'm about to say, and I apologize profusely if it comes across incorrectly.)

For the spine/neck, I have been to a chiropractor who showed me how I could safely do it myself, as I have chronic back pain from an injury while in the military, and those I do not force unless one of my vertebrae feels out of alignment -there is one between my shoulder blades that shifts frequently- and even that one I give up on if it gets uncomfortable to put more pressure on.

As for cracking of joints causing arthritis, there is no evidence, other then anecdotal, that it does so WebMD page about popping joints there are many other sites that also state there is no evidence to support that myth. Certainly I could hurt myself, potentially, but I could do the same driving a car.
To be completely honest, I'm not terribly concerned about some pain; I've had headaches daily since I was around 11 with migraines about once a week, with no known cause (I've been to many many doctors about that), as well as my back injury, which causes major pain twice a month or more, and mild pain constantly. I avoid taking medications, to protect my organs, so I generally just deal with it. If I can release some of the tension through cracking (and I should mention, when I say "force" I don't mean to the point of potentially dislocating/breaking my fingers, just slightly more then is necessarily comfortable, which is sometimes what it takes to pop them)

This made me giggle; Gotta love double-meanings in words!

Wow, I thought I was the only one. I crack my joints all the time. I do it as a stim.

I can crack my knuckles an unlimited amount of times. I also crack my wrists, toes, ankles, knees, hips, my neck, jaw, all sorts of places.

It also feels like it increases my range of motion, makes them feel more flexible, less stiff, etc. I do it often between songs when playing music.

I can relate to this - my elbows in particular often crack very loudly if I stretch my arms out and rotate them backwards about 90 degrees. They feel loads better afterwards too.

I think in my case it has more to do with hypermobility than autism - if I don't crack my joints, they physically hurt.

Yes.

Enough to have upset, bothered or out right grossed people out with it.

All major joints. All my toes and fingers. my back on both sides, and a couple of ribs which were accidental during a stretch... I feel compelled to stretch weirdly too which cracks things like ribs, which hurt. I always feel relaxed after, I think it might be a vestibular thing. I have tried to stop, like a junky I can't.

When I crack my back in front of my boyfriend he says he wish he could crack his like that.

I crack my knuckles and wrists in 4 different ways and I cycle through each one. I crack my fingers on surfaces, sometimes when I'm snuggling with my boyfriend on the couch and I can't get both hands together to complete a cycle I'll use his body to crack on.... My left ankle cracks everytime I windmill it, so that's how I go to sleep, spinning my foot round and round at the ankle "crack, crack, crack, crack"

I walk my knee's crack...


Crack, Crack, Snap, Pop.....

I cannot tell you how many times people have called me on it.

That and the nail biting, but I got that under control....