Obsessive-compulsive disorder
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You are not the only one with strong anti-psychological beliefs. Which is why I felt compelled to found this community.
We need more input!
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I was about to post that I thought it was OCD related when i stumbled on this thread.
I really want to see someone, a professional, that will actually care and give me some sort of direction with the jointcracking (as to how to go about stopping/healing), because it really does worry me, just the amount i do it, etc.
And then I considered the possibility of going to a Psychiatrist & getting treated for it as an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? I mean if you have the urge to do something, liturally, every minute of the day (as i do) that is possibly damaging your body, and you really, really, can't stop - It has to be OCD does it not?
I was thinking about going to my doctor and getting him to refer me to a psych for it, what do you guys think, they'll laugh me out the room?
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I mean if you have the urge to do something, liturally, every minute of the day (as i do) that is possibly damaging your body, and you really, really, can't stop - It has to be OCD does it not?
I was thinking about going to my doctor and getting him to refer me to a psych for it, what do you guys think, they'll laugh me out the room?
Yes, OCD is one of the most likely causes in my book right now, too.
I don't think they'll laugh you out of the room, DancingJester.If it hadn't been of such great concern to me I wouldn't have invested time and money to create this website. Nor would this community grow like it does if it was only a laughable matter.
A positive side effect of this community growing is that we start to collect proof that others have the same worries and are serious about it. We are not alone. Pointing a doctor to this community once it has grown larger should quickly alleviate any doubts of seriousness.
So this type of treatment is definitely worth a try. Like you already recognized, the solution to this problem is in numbers. The more of us who try different treatment methods, the more experiences we can accumulate until we do find the definite treatment which works.
It took me quite a few years to recognize that I alone, cannot try everything to find all the answers. But together we can!
So whatever you do, please report back and share so that we learn.
Personally, I have had small successes in controlling my desire to crack by trying to put my mind to it more and more. For the longest time cracking my toes etc. has been a habit I just did without thinking whenever I got out of bed for example. Now, I try to listen to my bodily reactions and only crack the joint consciously when I feel too weak to ignore the build up pressure.
The pressure feeling still confuses me. I still can't believe I'm making this up. Maybe it will go away when you have the strength to ignore the feeling for an extended period of time?
So many questions are still in the open
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I posted this in a different section regarding anxiety disorders but feel it is more appropriate here:
I have some OCD symptoms, which I believe are correlated to my cracking habits. I wonder if other avid crackers have OCD or OCD-like symptoms and if you think the two could be related. Some of the things I do are chew food the same number of times on each side of my mouth before swallowing, the TV volume has to be on an odd number, I only eat chips and other snack items in pairs (if only one is left over I can't eat it), and I avoid cracks on the pavement, but if I step on one with one foot I have to step on another crack of similar width with the opposite foot to "even" me out. I carry out a normal happy life but these few things really irk me! any thoughts?
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I also think joint cracking is linked with OCD. I have never been diagnosed with it, but I know I have it because I have the symptoms. I must turn the tv volume onto an even number, I sort my sweets into pairs especially when they are different colours, I count my steps sometimes when I walk, I try not to step on the cracks when I am walking on a tiled floor, when I play card games I drive everyone else who play insane because I constantly pack their cards straight when they pack them out on the table! I also frequently wash my hands and hardly ever walk barefoot because I am scared I will get dirt and germs on my skin. Jointcraking is just another part of my OCD behaviour.
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Anoter link to OCD from ask.metafilter.com:
@picklebird:I have a friend who cannot stop cracking her wrists and knuckles. Similar to you, she remembers thinking how gross this was before she started doing it. But once she started, she can't stop. She has other issues in her life that led her to realize that this is a symptom of a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I can't tell you if this applies to you, but I do think that seeing a therapist, (the suggestion of behavior modification therapy sounds right on) might be helpful (and might be covered by health insurance, if you have it).
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Jointcracker that is a good point about the OCD, i'd never really thought of that before. Any ideas how to treat it if it is the reason?
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I thought it was pretty obvious when i found out what it was entirely.
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In what way?
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You do it instinctively and without realising and that it is a necessity.
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but i would say that it is hard to tell if that is the problem.. because sometimes joints crack automatically such as when you get up in the morning or after sitting down for ages.
although automatically is close to instinctively i guess
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Yeh but after you start cracking, these 'natural' cracks happen more and easier.
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If you guys crack half as much as you blog .
you are OCD crackers. -
haha
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I crack my joints often, including a wrist attempt every day (without fail). I have OCD.
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im young but i crack my ankles almost 24/7 i feel like ill freak out if i dont almost like it hurts i dont understand y and i have tryed to stop but if i dont i feel really bad
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im young but i crack my ankles almost 24/7 i feel like ill freak out if i dont almost like it hurts i dont understand y and i have tryed to stop but if i dont i feel really bad
I'm lucky I can't crack my ankles it's mainly my neck for me. Welcome to the forum by the way
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You're not the only compulsive cracker my friend, and you have nothing to worry about. You can be a constructive cracker. I mean you can use the need to crack to your advantage in overcoming anxiety. OCD is label for something that isn't fully understood, but if the cracking is making you worried (or just not in control) you should seriously look into acupressure.
I have been working with a therapist for a long time, and drugs are not what you need. I too had the compulsion to crack my back and other joints (and still do), but by using certain pressure points to release tension we can feel more relaxed and still get a nice satisfying crack.
Cracking doesn't always mean you're wearing down your tendons or any of that bupkis, in fact chiropractors use healing techniques that realign bone structure often resulting in a fantastic, or painful feeling crack depending on the injury.
Wanting to crack your bones isn't a bad thing. Embrace it and use it in a non damaging potentially constructive way.
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My 11 year old son started compulsively popping his neck last spring. The pediatrician suggested that it was a tic. She said to ignore it and it may go away in 6 months. It continued through the fall and then tapered off until this spring. Now it is back full force and he is now popping knuckles, ankles, toes, etc… I was wondering if seasonal allergies could increase his desire to crack his joints since it tapered off in the winter and spiked again this spring. However, his allergy medicine doesn't seem to reduce popping. He describes the jointcracking as something he feels like he has to do or he feels really uncomfortable. If he tries not to do it, he wants to do it even more. He has days that he pops his neck so much that it hurts him and he requests things to hold his neck still (travel pillow).
His history of behaviors has me thinking that he may have OCD.
As a small child (3yrs) he did excessive blinking of his eyes, but that stopped within a few months (again, maybe allergy related).
Later (4-5yrs), he started showing germ phobic tendencies with hand washing.
He then began avoiding sitting on toilet seats (even at home) and would hover or perch on his feet to avoid the germs.
Now he has become skeptical of his food and examines it carefully for gross stuff like burned spots and hairs.
I don't want to overreact and make the situation worse, but as his mom I feel responsible to consider all the treatment options.
I have heard that OCD can be treated with Cognitive Behavior Therapy and drugs to increase Seratonin. I am wondering if any jointcrackers have experienced success with these OCD treatments.
