The process is just as it is when your knuckles or your knees click. It is not painful and afterwards the joints in the spine may move more freely giving a combination of pain relief and better mobility.
Some of the benefits of neck cracking include relief from soreness or pain, realignment of misaligned joints, feeling of lightness due to the release of pressure in the neck area, and release of endorphins.
Chiropractic adjustment is safe when it's performed by someone trained and licensed to deliver chiropractic care. Serious complications associated with chiropractic adjustment are overall rare, but may include: A herniated disk or a worsening of an existing disk herniation.
Does it hurt when your chiropractor cracks your neck? In theory, it sounds painful. Yet, there are some instances where people do not feel pain at all during a neck crack. While many people will feel pain or mild discomfort, others may not feel anything at all.
There is an abundance of blood vessels in your neck that can be damaged by continuous cracking. These vessels carry blood to, and away from your brain, so forceful and constant neck cracking can increase your risk of stroke by damaging these vessels.
You will lie on a table and the chiropractor can push, pull, or twist sections of your body to identify and repair any misalignments in your spine. There may be some “popping” or “cracking” sounds as the adjustment is performed, but this is expected and nothing to worry about.
When you are just starting a new treatment plan, it's common to have adjustments multiple times a week. As your body begins to heal, that number could drop to just once a week. And if you are pain-free and simply want to maintain your lifestyle, you might only need to get an adjustment once or twice a month.
To achieve maximum benefits, most injury and pain types will need somewhere between four and twelve sessions. Ongoing maintenance is used to prevent pain from coming back and to prevent additional injuries from forming due to a misalignment of the spine.
Chiropractors understand the natural gait and posture and will assess these areas when determining where to adjust. A basic assessment of your gait and posture will provide insights into the musculoskeletal system and its capability to adjust to different strains and stressors.
If you are constantly cracking your neck, pressure will build up in the joints. This causes the surrounding ligaments to stretch to unstable levels and the cartilage in your vertebrae to wear down. This can cause osteoarthritis, which is serious, irreversible and painful. It also causes even greater stiffness.
Cracking your neck does have benefits, like relieving pressure, pain relief, and even causing a positive mental effect as endorphins are released. However, when you crack your neck on your own, it is possible to do it incorrectly, too frequently, or even too forcefully.
Weekly and Monthly Visits
Depending on your preference and health situation, weekly or monthly visits could benefit you the most. If you're experiencing warning signs of upper back pain, for instance, you should make an appointment and see what your chiropractor recommends.
It all depends on how thorough your doctor is, however, most chiropractor appointments last between 20-30 minutes. At Oviedo Chiropractic, the adjustment itself typically only takes about 15 minutes, during which time Dr. Cough will adjust your spine as well as any other problem areas you choose to bring up.
In conclusion, no one can adjust themselves, not even chiropractors. While a chiropractor may be able to determine that the spine is safe to adjust and know exactly which bone needs to be adjusted, the direction of force and proper contact are just not possible to do yourself.
Because, while the adjustments themselves don't hurt, some people do experience minor pain and discomfort afterward. Either way, the best way to sleep after a chiropractic adjustment is on your back. This helps keep your spine in its neutral position, which is best for the spine in general.
It is entirely normal! Your neck may hurt after the chiropractic neck adjustment because the realigned vertebrae have moved from their former position. This can lead to sore muscles or joints, which is just a confirmation that alignment has happened.
Why are chiropractic visits so short? Chiropractic sessions are brief compared to other healthcare treatments because a chiropractor only needs a few seconds to perform an alignment or manipulation. Even if your chiropractor adjusts multiple joints, the entire process won't take over 30 minutes.
Chiropractic appointments, and the time it takes to realign your spine through a chiropractic adjustment, tend to be quite short for the most part. Appointments typically range from 15-45 minutes. Because your first chiropractic appointment will involve a full needs assessment, expect to be there for around 45 minutes.
Difficulty in Turning Your Hips or Head
If your neck gives off a cracking sound when you turn your head or if you cannot turn your head at all, this is a definitive sign that you have a misaligned cervical spine. The same can happen to your hips as well.
You may need a neck adjustment if you experience any ailments such as chronic neck pain, shoulder pain, chronic headaches, migraines, Ménière's disease, post concussion syndrome, balance issues, or any other health & neurological problems that neck adjustments have been shown to treat.
The simple answer is no. There are numerous techniques in chiropractic and some do not produce an audible noise. These are typically instrument adjusting techniques or low force techniques for those that do not like twisting in certain regions of the body.
There are various reasons why a chiropractor may crack your back, but the main one is to move your spine beyond its everyday range of motion which in turn creates more space and freedom of movement. This will then provide a measure of relief from whatever discomfort you were feeling previously.
Spinal Facet Joint
It's the gentle stretching of your spinal facet joints that causes cracking or popping noises. You see, there is fluid (synovial fluid) that surrounds your joints and when the joint is subject to an adjustment, small pockets of air or bubbles form in the fluid that surrounds your joints.
Keep this alignment intact by not doing any quick or jerky movements following your adjustment, and not doing any heavy lifting or strenuous activities. Because your body needs to relearn how to be in the correct position, be mindful of your movements for the next day or so.