When you sit still at your desk for long hours, your neck and back may crack and pop when you finally stand up. Is this normal? Should you be concerned? Find out why your neck cracks and your back pops, and why you should leave spinal adjustments to the professionals at Spine Correction Center of the Rockies.
Why Joints Crack
It’s a commonly held belief that the cracking and popping sounds you hear when you twist and bend your back comes from bubbles popping in your joints. This theory, which was originally introduced in the 1970s, may actually be wrong. Here are the more likely reasons your joints crack:
- Bubbles forming: Rather than the cracking sound coming from bubbling popping, many researchers now believe it’s actually from the formation of bubbles. Greg Kawchuk, the lead author of a 2015 study, says bubbles form as the joint surfaces separate because there’s not enough joint fluid to fill the enlarged space. A gas-filled cavity is created, and that’s what makes the sound you associate with cracking your back.
- Bubbles being released: Putting pressure on a joint could also cause the oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases present between joints to release, similar to the release of gases when you open a soda can.
- Negative pressure: Another theory is that when the joint surfaces separate, synovial fluid rushes in to fill the gap. The influx of fluid is what makes the noise and creates a particular sensation when you pop a joint.
- Tendons and ligaments: It’s possible that the “popping” sound you hear isn’t actually a joint popping at all. What you could be hearing is the sound of a tendon quickly snapping over a joint or a ligament tightening quickly when the joint moves. These sounds most often occur in the knee or ankle joints when you stand up from a seated position or walk up and down the stairs.
Is it Dangerous to Pop Your Back?
Sometimes a quick movement here or a twist there will accidentally cause your back or neck to pop. As long as this only happens in moderation, you have nothing to worry about.
However, you should never seek to pop your back or crack your neck in order to relieve pain or stiffness. When you purposefully pop your back too often, you could stretch the ligaments to the point of becoming unstable. This could:
- Impair the ligaments’ ability to stabilize your joints.
- Cause improper spinal alignment.
- Lead to pinched nerves.
- Cause chronic stiffness, irritation and pain.
Besides, when you pop your back in an effort to relieve pain, the joints you end up cracking are those that are already stretched too thin, not the ones that are locked tight and causing you pain. So you’re not really fixing the problem by popping your back.
Leave it to the Professionals
Cracking your own back can provide temporary relief, but you’ll never get at the root of the problem without a professional chiropractor’s help. Professionals are trained to perform spinal adjustments to reverse your pain, not simply provide temporary relief while causing problems in other areas. With the help of x-rays and a physical examination, chiropractors can determine which areas of your neck and back are locked tight and which areas are too stretched out.
A healthy spine only requires a few adjustments before it resumes proper function and stops hurting. This means you don’t have to undergo constant spinal manipulation to be pain-free over the long term.
The chiropractors at Spine Correction Center of the Rockies – Dr. Michael Farrell, DC and Dr. April Cardwell, DC – are both doctors of chiropractic medicine with degrees from the prestigious Palmer College of Chiropractic. Rely on their expertise to adjust your spine and get you feeling healthy again. Contact us online or call (970) 658-5115 to schedule a free consultation.
