Cracking joints

I know I have arthritis and it seems to have gotten worse as I get older (47). Since my knuckles are starting to hurt and it is harder to do things with my fingers and hands, I decided it was time to start the research. I read on that in degenerative arthritis, the joint is worn out. If a person is in the habit of cracking the knuckles, there is a possibility, that this condition can set in. There are chances, that the habit of cracking knuckles can lead to arthritis and rheumatism. The reason behind the same is, when the knuckles are cracked, it weakens the knuckle joint. (Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/knuckle-pain-and-swelling.html)

I question this because I have also read that cracking the joints would not hurt or cause arthritis. Chiropractors pop the joints all the time and that is supposed to be a good thing. What are your thoughts on this.
Another thought: Does coffee bring on arthritis?
Thanks,
snookiebow

Hi, I thought this might be of interest…

One M.D., Dr Donald Unger, convincingly put that amateur argument to rest with a study published back in 1998 in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism entitled “Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?” “For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously.” “There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands.” He concluded that “there is no apparent relationship between knuckle cracking and the subsequent development of arthritis of the fingers.”…

I got this on http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=crack-research Neenaa.