Obsessive-compulsive disorder
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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. -
There is terrible pain in my neck and from the last days it is intolerably worst. I heard that acupuncture methods can be beneficial. I wonder if anyone has any experience with acupuncture! If it is beneficial then Ill visit my neighborhood acupuncture Mississauga center.
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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.Joint cracking is a perfectly normal behavior, although one that others may find annoying. Many people are squeamish of the sound, the motions, etc. I would suggest that this has more to do with your perception and your way of handling it - you're turning a normal behavior into a situation.
Most joint crackers start in their early double digits to teen years. I also started at 11. I remember we were staying in a hotel by a river, and I felt this building pressure in my toes growing over several days, to the point they were very uncomfortable and mildly painful. One night I stretched in the hotel bed and accidentally pushed my toes against the foot board, and everything cracked. I had never cracked anything before, I had no idea how to do it or what it felt like. But oh my gosh, the pain was instantly gone. My body created the problem on its own, and I accidentally found the solution. In my case, I have loose ligaments, and it's similar for many (but not necessarily all) joint crackers. Learn about the anatomy of what happens when a joint cracks - that will explain why your son feels discomfort. It's part of a vicious cycle, but not anything that's wrong with him. A gas bubble forms inside the joint. When the joint is cracked, the bubble pops, releasing the feeling of pressure (which often feels stiff or painful). This also releases a little dopamine, so between the relief of pain + dopamine, that's why a lot of people enjoy the feeling. But think about the important part of that: release of pain/discomfort. Of course someone wants that. Anyway, the bubble re-forms after about 20 minutes, which is why it becomes a repetitive behavior.
When I'm alone, I rarely think about my cracking. Partially because when a joint's uncomfortable, I just crack it and move on with my day. However, when I'm around someone who insists I not crack in their presence, all I can think about is cracking. Then the discomfort and pressure of my joints not being cracked builds up, which combines with a constant need to remind myself not to crack around that person. You see, if I stop thinking about NOT cracking, I might forget and accidentally crack (and anger the person), because I absentmindedly crack quite often. Your son likely HAS to obsessively think about it because he's being forced to constantly remind himself not to perform an absentminded behavior. If you do something absentmindedly, the only way to make sure you don't do it is to constantly remind yourself of it - ie constantly think about it. Your son is "obsessed" with it (your phrasing) because the people around him are making it an issue. Even if you're not telling him not to do it, he knows you're watching for it, so on some level he's trying not to crack. I didn't phrase this well at all, I'm sorry. Let me give another example from my own life - and it obviously won't apply exactly to your experience, but hopefully you can see how it relates: my grandmother is absolutely INFURIATED when I crack a single knuckle around her. So whenever I'm around my grandmother, I can't hear a word she says, I can't pay attention to anything anyone else is doing, all I can do is think "don't crack don't crack don't crack." Because if I think about something else, I might absentmindedly crack my finger. And then she will lose it.
Your son is being watched, so he's trying not to crack, which means he has to constantly make sure he doesn't forget not to crack. Stop making it an issue and see what happens. Let him know you don't care, and it will likely stop being an OCD thing - at least to the extent you're making it. Yes, he'll keep cracking, like millions of us do. But it doesn't need to be an issue unless you for some reason need to make it one.
