Does cracking your fingers/knuckles etc. lead to arthritis?

No, of course it doesnt. A study focused on 300 habitual knuckle crackers found no evidence linking knuckle cracking and arthritis. Chronic crackers did suffer other harm, including soft tissue damage and loss of grip strength. This damage is usually minor, however, and cracking your knuckles actually has some benefits -- you'll feel looser and enjoy more mobility in your joints immediately after popping.

the 'cracking' is the bubbles bursting apparently there's a fluid acting like lube, and everytime you crack your knuckles the lube seperates and you lose the movement so yes

The worst thing it'll do is drive your friends crazy, according to Sharon Hand, MD, an associate clinical professor of sports medicine a the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The sound you hear is most likely from stretching the joint, which deceases pressure and causes fas bubbles to pop. But it does not do damage. Similarly, if you hear the occasional crack when you turn your neck or arch your back, don't worry, you're not hurting anything. The sound can come from muscles or tendons sliding past each other to relieve tension. But if you feel any pain along with the sound, have a doctor check it out.

Arthritus has a lot of causes, natural wear and tear can cause the condition as it is the erroding of the tissue in the joint itself. So in theory if you worked the joint extra you can increase the likelihood of cause arthritus. There are other causes including bacterial, but cracking the knuckles does in itself not lead to arthritus.

To answer your questions; Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

absolutely NOT!!! it is an old wives tale. ask a doctor they will tell you the same thing

yes it can. It really depends on how much you do it.

People always used to say that when I was younger but recently I heard that was just a myth. As long as you don't do it excessively you should be fine.