Dr. Anna is often asked “Is it safe to ‘pop’ my own spine?’
Many people are guilty of this whether it be twisting your head to get that ‘pop’ in the neck, getting a bear hug from a friend or stretching over the back of a chair to get that satisfying ‘pop’ in your back and relieve the feeling of stiffness.
It feels good in the moment but what are you really achieving? Is it safe and why does it make that ‘popping’ noise?
First of all, what is that noise?
Many people will know the noise made when someone ‘cracks’ their knuckles, that satisfying ‘pop’, relieving tension and freeing up your joints. This is the same noise experienced when you ‘pop’ your back. But what causes it?
Joints contain three gasses, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide as well as fluid which lubricates the joint. When you put pressure on a joint (which is what you do when you force it to ‘pop’) tiny bubbles of these gasses are released creating that ‘popping’ noise. Much like the ‘pop’ you get when opening a jar. The fluid within the joint then moves over the joint, lubricating the joint, restoring movement and providing you with relief.
Then you feel better, what’s the problem?
Ligaments are responsible for holding joints together and providing stability for the joint. Ligaments are stretchy like a rubber band. When you ‘pop’ your own joints, you force the ligaments to stretch. As with repeatedly stretching a rubber band it eventually loses shape, becoming unstable and is more likely to become damaged. Your ligaments function in the same way.
When ligaments become stretched they can no longer provide the stability and support needed, putting your joints at risk. Add to this, when you manipulate your joints you are not actually ‘popping’ the right joints, but the joints surrounding the subluxation (joint out of alignment). So, you are never actually fixing the problem, only providing short-lived relief. This can lead to early degeneration in your joints because the body needs to lay extra bone down to stabilise the joint.
You may be aggravating the true problem or creating new ones. The more you ‘pop’ your joint the more you feel you need to, creating a downward spiral as the true problem worsens. It is not an ideal cycle but many people find they are guilty of it. The best way to relieve the problem long term is to see a Chiropractor and be specifically adjusted.
But my neck ‘‘pops’’ by itself?
It’s a common occurrence: You twist or tilt your head to the side and your neck ‘pops’. It’s not unusual for built up pressure in the spine to release. Unforced ‘popping’ that occurs through normal movement isn’t harmful. If your neck is stiff and you gently tilt your head and it ‘pops’ you can rest easy knowing that this isn’t causing any long-term damage.
So, what is the solution?
1) Resist the urge to self ‘manipulate’.
2) Leave it to a professional. Like Hairdressing or Dentistry, some things are better left to the professionals. At Eastern Bay Chiropractic Dr. Anna is skilled at adjusting spines and helping to reduce the need to manipulate your own.
Bibliography
Bhula, S. (2017). The truth about self cracking your spine. Retrieved from Chiropratic Balance: http://chirobalance.co.nz/chiropractors-blog/2017/5/28/the-truth-about-self-cracking-your-spine
Preze, M. (2016). Should I worry about cracking my neck? Retrieved from Spine Health: https://www.spine-health.com/blog/should-i-worry-about-my-neck-cracking
The Health Journal. (2016). Is cracking your own neck helpful or harmful? Retrieved from The Health Journal: http://www.thehealthjournals.com/cracking-neck-helpful-harmful/