Swedish man cracks 46 joints in a row to break world record

23-year-old Olle Lundin (Sweden) has done a cracking job to break the record for the most continuous cracking of different joints.

Olle consecutively cracked 46 different joints in his body, breaking the previous record of 40, set by Kamal Pokhrel (Nepal) in December 2022.

@guinnessworldrecords Most continuous cracking of different joints - 46 by Olle Lundin 🇸🇪 #guinnessworldrecords#worldrecord#bodytok♬ original sound - Guinness World Records

Olle prepared “quite a bit” to break this world record. Every day for a month, he practised cracking his joints in different sequences to determine the most efficient order.

On the day of the official attempt, Olle avoided making any sudden movements, “much like a sloth,” to prevent any of his joints from cracking prior to the attempt.

In order to successfully achieve the record, there must be no more than a three-second gap between each crack. If a joint doesn't crack the first time, the challenger must move onto the next one.

Olle had put in hours of practise to figure out the “perfect order of cracks,” however, he said that executing it while under stress was harder than expected.

Olle didn’t let the pressure get to him though, as he broke the previous record by six cracks. 

The record attempt was almost ruined by the recording studio’s squeaky floor, which Olle feared would drown out the sound of some of his joint cracks, but luckily the microphone picked them all up.

Olle began cracking his fingers as a young child, around age six. He remembers his grandmother telling him to stop or else his fingers would become “crooked like hers.”

It didn’t take long before Olle moved on to cracking his toes too.

He has fond memories of his first toe cracking, performed by a Thai masseuse when he was seven. “At the end they dragged my toes individually until they cracked,” Olle recalled.

“Astonished” by the sensation, thereafter Olle began cracking his toes himself. Naturally, he also began trying to crack other joints elsewhere in his body.

“I remember when I watched some video on YouTube where two old men explained how one could crack one´s back in a sitting-up position.”

Olle admitted that some joints were “definitely painful” to crack at first, however, he has always been “relatively insensitive” to pain.

“The most painful joints were probably the smaller joints, such as the ‘middle’ joints on the fingers and the toes in general,” he revealed.

Now a hardened joint cracker, Olle no longer feels any pain at all.

Olle believes that the reason he started cracking his joints as a young child was because it felt “exciting” and “dangerous” without causing himself any real harm, despite his grandmother’s warnings.

Nowadays, joint cracking serves as a stress reliever for Olle. “I do notice that I crack them more when I feel restless,” he said.

Olle cracked 46 different joints consecutively to achieve his world record – including ones in his neck, back, and ankles - however, he believes he could do 60 “if all goes perfectly.”

The human body contains 360 joints in total, which means there are many that Olle has been unable to crack, despite trying.

“I have tried cracking my jaw, ears and nose, even though I am not sure if this is even possible,” he said.

Olle has actually managed to crack his jaw “once or twice,” however, it proved “very painful.”

“I have dragged my ears very hard in different directions, but with no success,” he added.

Olle receives a range of reactions – from amazement to disgust – when he cracks his joints in front of his friends and family.

Olle’s top tips for beginner joint crackers are: “don’t be afraid to experiment with your body, challenge yourself and have fun!”

He added: “Also, do not do anything that hurts too much! If something doesn´t crack when stretching or bending to its full extent, it won’t crack just because you apply more force.”

His last tip is to “stay flexy” to give yourself increased range of motion, providing “a bigger chance of cracking more joints.”

For Olle, breaking this highly-competitive world record feels “a bit unreal.”

“Am I really the most 'cracky' person out there? I guess we will have to wait and see!”

History of the record

• 2003: 26 consecutive cracks achieved by James Syiemiong (India)
• 2017: 32 consecutive cracks achieved by Kalai Selven Kali Shanmugham (UK)
• 2021: 36 consecutive cracks achieved by Sebastian Qval Wold (Sweden)
• 2022: 40 consecutive cracks achieved by Kamal Pokhrel (Nepal)
• 2023: Olle takes the title with 46 consecutive cracks

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