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Should I Crack My Own Back, Or Is It A Bad Idea? A Chiropractor Explains

B.J. Hardick, D.C.
Author:
July 16, 2020
B.J. Hardick, D.C.
Doctor of Chiropractic
By B.J. Hardick, D.C.
Doctor of Chiropractic
BJ Hardick is a Doctor of Chiropractic and public speaker currently practicing in in London, Ontario. He received his D.C. from Life University and is the author of Maximized Living Nutrition Plans.
July 16, 2020

"Should I crack my own spine?" This is probably one of the most common questions that new patients ask me in my practice.

Some of these patients ask directly. Others almost boast that they can crack their own spine. A few subtly inquire to see whether or not it's healthy.

When I see a new patient, I evaluate their health history, their X-rays, their posture, everything. About 99% of the time, when they tell me that they can crack their own spine, I can clearly see that whatever they're doing is not working. If somebody is cracking their own spine or they feel a need to, they are usually subconsciously aware that they have a problem. But is it safe or a bad idea? Let me explain.

What exactly is happening when your back cracks?

When somebody feels like they're cracking their own spine, they're just referring to the audible sensation. The sound you hear is simply the release of nitrogen gas from a joint capsule that goes to its end range of motion. 

That said, the "crack" noise has nothing to do with whether or not there's a helpful realignment taking place. There are plenty of adjustment methods that don't get an audible sensation. Conversely, there are plenty of audible sensations that don't have anything to do with getting a proper adjustment or realignment. 

There's a big difference between a chiropractor working to realign the spine, as opposed to just moving it around, and a chiropractor working to bring proper motion into a joint, instead of just any motion. When patients are rattling their own spines around, they might want to call it an adjustment, but they are not providing any specific focus.

In fact, when people say they're cracking their own back or neck, they're actually moving their spine through a forced range of movement beyond their normal range of motion. And the vertebrae that are creating that audible release, most likely, aren't the ones that are locked up. Instead, they are often the ones that are above and below the issue.

With the very best-case scenario, if you crack your back at home, you're bringing a little bit of relief. After all, any type of audible release can trigger an endorphin rush. At best, you're not making a problem worse when you do this.

If you stretch your back or do yoga and you happen to hear an odd click, it's a sign that there could be some locked-up fixation somewhere in your spine. In this case, I recommend seeing a chiropractor to get an assessment of where the actual real problem is.

What does a chiropractor do when they crack your back?

Chiropractors look for what's wrong in the spinal alignment and adjust what is incorrect, based on the foundational understanding that the spine is the anchor of the body and at the center of health.

A chiropractor will only be working on the segments or the regions of the spine where there is a problem. Chiropractors really do believe that if it's not broken, don't fix it—and we support this philosophy by only targeting spinal regions and segments that are dysfunctional.

For example, if a patient's spine is curved to the right, we obviously want to adjust right to left. If the pelvis is rotated forward on the right, we want to rotate it back. 

Is it ever OK to crack your own back?

When joints are functioning normally in the human body—meaning, there's proper movement, correct posture, and good muscle tone—people really shouldn't feel a need to "snap joints." 

I challenge my patients who feel this urge to crack their own backs: "Do you feel a need, right now, to snap the joints in your back?" The answer is often that they don't need to crack joints because there isn't a problem there at the moment. If a patient does feel a need to snap or rattle around a joint in their spine, it's usually because their body is aware that there is indeed a problem there.

So, can you work on your own spine? While it can generally be safe, as a chiropractor who has seen the potential problems this can create, I recommend that you don't crack your own back. Once a chiropractor starts working on the actual problem, you shouldn't feel the need to do it yourself. Plus, it's not going to help your alignment anyway. 

Listen, I understand that these things can become a habit because of that endorphin rush. A lot of habits take time to break. One of the best ways to break this habit is to start doing new things that actually do help your body and mobility, like the exercises that a chiropractor might have you do. While you're breaking out of that old habit, consider chiropractic care along with strengthening exercises to guide your body in the right direction.

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