Clicking and Popping of the Hand and Wrist
Clicking and popping can occur even in healthy joints, but sometimes it indicates a hand or wrist problem that needs medical attention.
Is it harmful to pop or crack your knuckles?
This type of popping noise is caused by cavitation. Cavitation occurs when the joint is stretched, causing negative pressure in the joint, which pulls nitrogen gas out of the joint fluid and causes a popping sound. There is no evidence that popping your knuckles causes arthritis.
When should you be concerned about clicking and popping?
If the clicking and popping causes pain, limits your hand function, or causes your fingers or wrist to get stuck or lock up, this may signal a more serious underlying problem.
Common problems causing clicking and popping by location
Finger/Palm: Trigger finger is a condition in which the finger clicks or pops when you move it, and may even get stuck in a flexed or extended position. You may feel the click and some tenderness at the base of your finger, in the palm.
Wrist: Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injuries often cause pain and clicking on the small finger side of the wrist, which occurs when rotating the wrist (as in turning a door knob). Scapholunate ligament injuries often cause pain more in the central and thumb side of the wrist, and you may experience more of a clunking sensation. Hand and wrist arthritis (osteoarthritis) often causes clicking or grinding sensations in multiple joints.
Ready to confirm a diagnosis and fix the problem, or just want to learn more?
Our board-certified orthopedic hand and wrist surgeons, Eric Angermeier, MD and Kyle Kokko, MD, PhD, are here to help! They can often diagnose the problem in one visit, and get you started with a treatment plan. We offer a wide variety of both nonoperative and operative treatment options.
Call today for a clinic or telehealth appointment! 854-429-4263