The Dangers of Cracking Your Own Back

Why Choose Professional Chiropractors Over DIY Back Cracking

Is your back stiff? Does it feel better to crack it? Do you just love hearing the popping sound it makes? Are you worried about doing it yourself? When is it safe to do it yourself versus going to your local chiropractor? Otherwise, you might have to see a New York physical therapist for an injury. It can feel like you have a lot of questions swirling around in your head.

Don’t worry. Read this post, which will help answer the question “Why Choose Professional Chiropractors Over DIY Back Cracking?” We’re here to help. 

The Spinal Cord is Complex & Fragile

The last thing you want to do is something that disrupts that fragile chain of discs and other bones in your spinal cord. If that happens, then it can make life much more difficult, since performing even the simplest motions can lead to pain and discomfort. Treat your spinal cord like the important thing that it is for your everyday life and you can avoid having any pain or misery. 

That means talking to a professional about any issues that you have going on with your body in terms of how your spine feels. They can thoroughly examine you and see what is going on with your spine. Once they have done that, they can then do manual therapy or provide you with exercises and stretches to help loosen some parts and strengthen some other areas. 

Back Cracks Can Result In Muscle Injury

If you are too forceful with the back cracking, that can affect far more than just your spine. You could hurt many different muscles and not just in your back area. The injuries could extend all the way up to your neck. The end result could wind up making your entire body feel extremely miserable.

You could wind up causing serious muscle injuries, including strains and tears. That alone could set you back a good amount of time for recuperation and even possible rehabilitation. Just moving around could be hard and very painful. The end result could be surgery, which is something that you definitely don’t want to occur. 

Cracking Your Back Can Cause Stretched Ligaments & Flexibility Loss

There can be other side effects of cracking your back. They include stretching ligaments, and as a result, you will have a loss of flexibility. The loss of flexibility can lead to a host of other muscular problems over the years. That can include having difficulty even doing simple things like bending over to pick up something you dropped. A stretching routine can help some but you should talk to a professional, like a chiropractor, so that they can get you on the right track. 

Your Neck & Back Blood Vessels Can Be Injured

Having an injured neck is something that no one wants to have happen to them. Damaged blood vessels can also cause internal issues. Both of these things can occur with improper back cracking. The brief good feeling can quickly turn bad afterwards and the results can be long-lasting. 

The main thing to take away from this is that if you are feeling back pain already or if there is swelling in the area or if you already hurt it, then you should definitely not crack your own back. That can make matters a lot worse. Talk to a professional chiropractor about your situation and see what they suggest. 

You need to know your own body and be gentle with it. Do not do rigorous stretching or back cracking. Instead, do a slow stretching routine and adjust as your body gets more limber over a period of weeks. You can do some exercises that your physical therapist or chiropractor gives you but be sure to follow their instructions. 

Once you understand why chiropractic adjustments should be performed by professionals, you should contact the closest one in your area. Then you can rehab any other issues at Phoenix Physical Therapy PLLC, which has three locations in New York. They will work closely with you to get you back to where you were before the injury. 

This post is courtesy of Bodyworkz, who are based in Mesa, Arizona, and offer chiropractic services and other things, including acupuncture and massage. 

 

Phoenix Physical Therapy

Rosedale Location
23520 147th Avenue, Suite 1,
Rosedale, NY, 11422

Brooklyn Location
7510 4th Ave., Suite 3,
Brooklyn, NY, 11209
Phone: (347) 733-1916