People often ask, “I crack my own neck, is that okay?”

Here’s the skinny. DIY is not recommended when it comes to spinal adjustments. But, we understand your desire to do so.

Your body is always in a state of self-healing. You have more innate intelligence than you probably even realize. Even children, without being told to, often try to self-adjust their back or neck when they have an area of discomfort. There is a difference in someone that stretches their neck or back and experiences a light “pop” versus someone that wrenches on their neck or jaw in order to force a “pop” to occur. The first situation isn’t that big of a deal. The latter is a different story…

The fact that you desire to self-adjust indicates that you have an underlying problem. This could be from misalignment of the spine or from something more advanced such as degenerative joint disease or a muscular imbalance such as upper crossed syndrome. 

There are benefits to the “crack” sound often achieved during a chiropractic adjustment, including reduced prostaglandins (inflammation modulators) and increased levels of endorphins (“feel good” hormones). However, these are temporary gains. To obtain the full benefit of an adjustment, you need restoration of joint motion, not just a joint noise!

In most cases of self-adjustment, the person gets the joint above or below the “stuck” joint to make noise, but doesn’t actually adjust the problem joint segment. This explains why their symptoms often return after only a handful of minutes, once the endorphins wear off and the prostaglandins set back in. 

The issue arises when a person continues to repetitively self-adjust. In this case they are getting more and more motion into segments above and below the problem joint. So now they not only have a pain-generating immobile joint segment, but are creating areas of hypermobility or instability above and below the “stuck” segment, which ultimately adds to their problem. 

A chiropractor is highly trained to identify the actual problem and with the proper force and direction they are able to adjust the problem joint. Chiropractors will also offer appropriate rehabilitation, to address musculature concerns and restore not only alignment but proper posture as well. Simply stated, just because you can do it yourself, doesn’t mean that you should. There are many things in life that you can DIY, but when it comes to spinal adjusting, it is best left to a professional. If you find yourself needing to self adjust frequently, it is in your best interest to be evaluated and treated by a chiropractor.