There is nothing like a good crack to the back and neck after a long day's work. It gives that feeling of satisfaction when you hear the "pop" and the "crack." However, health experts warn against doing this routinely since it can lead to serious joint vulnerability.
When we crack our back and neck, we are putting pressure on the synovial joint and releasing pockets of carbon dioxide gas stored in the joints. When the gas bursts, it creates a sharp noise, which we refer to as the pop and crack. Hearing this sound creates a placebo effect that makes you feel good since it makes you think that something happened and that you did something to your body, according to Dr. Marina Mangano, DC, founder of Chiro Yoga Flow.
However, cracking our necks and backs do not provide long-term relief. A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that it only provides momentary relief and does not provide significant improvements.
Likewise, in the long term, routinely cracking the neck or back can cause your joints to loosen, also known as hypermobility, which makes your joints vulnerable to injury. It could even lead to increased pain, according to David W. Flatt, an orthopedic chiropractor at Northwestern Medicine Integrated Spine Program in St. Charles, Illinois.
Moreover, people tend to overstretch in the process of cracking their back, which could strain the muscles around the spine to forcefully produce the crack. This is a risk to the muscle tissues and can result in decreased range of motion and joint pain. Meanwhile, self-cracking the neck can compromise blood supply to the neck and head, according to Todd Sinett, DC, a New York-based chiropractor.
"Self-back cracking can cause injuries such as muscle pulls or even strain tendons and tear ligaments."
So if you feel like your joints are still misaligned after all the cracking you've done, then have the professionals take care of it and no else, not even a friend who volunteers to crack your back or neck for you. They might do more damage than good since they don't know your body the way physical therapists or chiropractors do.
It is also time to consult the professionals when you've routinely cracked your back or neck and feel discomfort. These include pain while cracking, decrease in range of motion, and numbness or a tingling sensation that radiates into your leg after you've cracked your back.
