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. Like any procedures there are risks and the treatment is not suitable for everyone.
The cracking you hear is not your bones shifting or crunching, but is caused by the formation and pop of gas bubbles. “Adjustments” (that is the technical term), work by quickly stimulating and mobilising the joints and muscles around the spine. These help to reduce pain, & increase the range of mobility and function.
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.
The bottom line
When done carefully, cracking your neck isn't bad for you. It has some benefits, including easing joint pressure, which may relieve pain or stiffness. But when done too often or forcefully, it can lead to more neck pain and injuries. Experts recommend gentle stretches when popping your neck.
Visiting your chiropractor is the best way to realignment your neck towards perfection. A corrective care chiropractor can not only return your cervical curve to the ideal position, but also help keep it in place with postural exercises and thoughtful lifelong care.
A lot of times, that's just the buildup and pressure within that joint.” If your chiropractor uses low-force techniques or specific equipment, you may not hear cracking or popping. For example, your chiropractor may use an activator. This instrument allows them to scan your spine and slowly move the bones.
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.
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.
Each joint is covered by a capsule filled with a mixture of fluid and gases. When the capsule moves, gas may be released as bubbles which causes a cracking or popping sound.
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.
For starters, you're relieving pressure against your spine. Cracking your back can also release endorphins, which is the feel-good hormone. The pituitary gland creates endorphins to manage pain throughout the body. When you crack your back and release these endorphins, you'll experience a sense of satisfaction.
Although it may feel good, repetitive and habitual back cracking can actually be detrimental to your health. It can stretch the ligaments around the spine, allowing excessive movement, joint instability, and an unstable body which can lead to further injuries.
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.
Your first adjustment will take the longest and could be as much as a half hour but each session after that will see an improvement in your health and a reduction in the amount of time it takes. By the time you reach maintenance sessions, your adjustments should only take around 5 minutes.
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.
The general rule with chiropractic treatment is to go through 1 to 4 weeks of treatment at 2-3 visits a week and then determine how the condition is responding. It is recommended that once improvements start to be seen in patients, the treatment frequency tapers back.
Serious complications associated with chiropractic adjustment are overall rare, but may include: A herniated disk or a worsening of an existing disk herniation. Compression of nerves in the lower spinal column. A certain type of stroke after neck manipulation.
This is because an adjustment causes the body to release endorphins, feel good hormones from the brain, and your muscles respond by relaxing. It is similar to the feeling of a good stretch but much faster. Moving your neck and/or back after can feel much lighter and more free because the joints are moving better.
Very small gas bubbles can form within your synovial joints (joints, including facet joints, that have a lubricating lining and fluid). When the bubbles collapse, they are released, which creates cracking noises in your joints. In this case, these cracking sounds can happen during your neck's natural movements.
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.
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.
The goal of a neck adjustment procedure is to relieve pain. However, you may still feel some pain before you begin to feel better. It is entirely normal!
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.