When your back stiffens up or causes you pain, you sometimes have to wonder the best way to remedy it to release the tension. Under normal circumstances when you use your back or move a certain way you may accidentally here a crack or pop- where you back has cracked itself.

However, many people also crack their back to ease discomfort. This can be habitual or occasional, but the most important thing you need the answer to is “Is cracking your back bad?” and “is there any way you can crack your back without causing further issues for your health.” Is Cracking Your Back Bad for You?

And despite what your mom said, you’re not going to make your knuckles too big or develop arthritis by cracking them. “The belief that cracking your knuckles is bad for your joints is an old.

The best way to answer this complex question is to answer it by immediately stating that when it is done in moderation instead of habitually it is completely safe and beneficial. However, if you do it all the time you could be causing permanent damage to the joints in your back and spine. This incidence is referred to as hyper-mobility. Why Cracking Your Back Constantly is Bad for You As aforementioned cracking your back quite often can cause a condition referred to as hyper-mobility.

So if you are having the urge to crack your back more than once in a while- you should seek help from a medical professional, physical therapist, or chiropractor. Hyper-Mobility: How Does it Happen? When you stretch, pop your back in place, or crack it religiously- the muscles surrounding the spine and the spine itself gets stretched unnecessarily. The elasticity of these muscles, ligaments, tissues and spinal cord act such as pulling, tugging and releasing like a rubber band works.

——-> If a rubber band is stretched repeated times in small amounts of time it loses its spring (elasticity.) This same phenomena happens to your back when it is cracked time and time again. This can decrease the proper function of your spine, back muscles, and the ligaments around them. This is where and how hyper-mobility occurs.

The Safest Way to Crack Your Back Okay, now that we have established that infrequent back cracking is pretty safe, we have to demonstrate to you the correct and most accurate ways possible to crack your back. Note: Before performing any type of back cracking it is always wise to first seek medical advice! If you have the go from any medical expert to crack your back, then these are the safest ways that you can crack your back without compromising your health: Standing Upright: You can crack your own back by taking a standing position that is upright. All you have to do is to place both of your hands (palm out) on top of each-other. Be sure to position them in the center of your back in the middle right at the spine’s location. Then take pressure and strength to press both hands on the spine as you lean slowly backwards. While Laying on the Floor: You can safely crack your back, most easily by taking a firm position on the floor.

While laying lateral (on one side)- proceed to reach for your feet taking them by the hand/ As you do this your chin should be nesteled and tucked in close to your chest region. You should use resistance force to stretch your back out. This should do the trick.

And you can twist to the other side to complete the task. While Sitting in a Chair: You can also pop or crack your back into place while taking a sitting stance in a chair. Sit on the edge of the chair, you should make sure that your back and the back of the chair have contact. Applying light pressure at the point of your forehead, and breathing in and out should help you to crack your back. Cracking Other Parts of Your Body: The Risks Just like cracking your back often leads to hypermobility, cracking other parts of your body and joints can also lead to health syndromes that can complicate your ability to function in life properly. Think of it this way: Whether you are cracking your back, your neck, your fingers or anything else there is vital fluid that is involved with your joints, ligaments and bones. This fluid is essential to provide a cush-bag between the joints, tissues, bones, cartilage, and joints.