gorilla

I dont know if this is something to worry about, but I think it is definately strange. I am a heavy weightlifting and I crack my back up to 5 times a day. And I dont just mean a pop or two, we're talking a dozen loud cracks. I don't like to do it, but after a few hours my back just hurts and I can tell it needs to be cracked. Am I going to experience any adverse effects later in life, is this something youve had experience with?

hannukah harry

possibly. you don't want to be cracking your back, or having someone else crack it (like where you put your arms to your chest and then give you a lifting bear hug to crack it) cause you could be causing more damage then help. i would suggest going to either a chiropracter or a orthopedist (bone doc).

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Paradise Lost

I would think it would have more to do with not stretching the
muscles in your back (the real reason it's probably hurting), the
cracking probably comes from too much stress from the weights
or improper use. <-- At least this is what it seems like to me.

I'm just sorta logically going through it. I really can't think of
anyway to help you out other than what Harry mentioned, or
else maybe change your workout routines to put less stress
on your back (stretch, lift less weight, something like that...)

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raeanna74

I don't know how bad or good it would be for ya. I do know the feeling where it just gives the relief that you need. My back cracks all the time. All it takes for me to crack it is for me to lean back in a chair and stretch my arms over my head. Or ly on my back and raise my legs in the air. I'm not twisting then nor am I actually putting pressure on it. I figure if I'm not twisting or bending that it can't be all that bad. Besides last time I went to the chiropractor - it had been almost a year. He was pretty amazed at how in line most of my back was. I had only gone for small lower back injury and he got it straightened out in 3 sessions. One stretch that I do when my back is really hurting is I ly flat on my back with my arms over my head and raise my legs until they are over my head. I go as far as I can and then holding onto a chair above my head I SLOWLY lower my butt and legs to the floor. VERY slowly. Things will almost SLIP instead of pop and when I'm done I feel relaxed and without the back pain.

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Tholo

This just made me cringe, i dont know how it could possibly be good...but I'm no expert.

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archpaladin

One consequence of continuous back cracking is that it keeps your vetebra loose. Like everything else, this has to be done in moderation.....too little and you risk letting something go out of whack or (in the worst case) fuse together, too much and you could get to where the joints could slip out of place.

I crack my back on purpose once a day...after that I don't really bother. I let my body tell me when it needs something - I figure that's the best way to go.

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JStrider

i usually do it once a day... or every other day...

the urge almost always hits me in my math class... must be the desks or something...

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yournamehere

I'll second seeing a doctor, but not a chiropractor.
Sorry - but 2 years is not enough training to work on MY body.

I would suggest seeing a D.O. - a Doctor of Osteopathy - they go to 4 years of medical school, same as M.D.s - but specialize in bone and muscle functions.

I would think that every time you crack your back, you're wearing down some vertebrae and/or disks. Sounds like a sure path to arthritis later in life.

Then again, I haven't even had 2 years training, so don't listen to me, either

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irateplatypus

i do this daily also...

sometimes i can't get to sleep unless i crack the ol' back.

i've been told by an MD that as long as your back is cracking within its normal range of motion and isn't subject to quick jerks to make it crack... then you're fine. course, this guy wasn't a bone or joint specialist... but that is what i've been basing my habits on since i was told that.

my favorite way is to...

1. lay on my back
2. swing one leg over the other, making my hips perpendicular to the ground.
3. keeping my shoulders parallel to the ground, i gently press on the back of my waist w/my palm.

man... it cracks all the way up and down... but it feels so natural.

good times.

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Cowman

I can't see how cracking your back, within a normal range of body motion, could possibly be 'bad'. I do it regularly as well.

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Rodney

I had back problems for a number of years, and saw a chiropractor for much of that time. In a back attack, what mainly happens is that you _can't_ crack your back -- it won't adjust normally. Some problem in your back is causing the surrounding muscles to go into spasm, and then they pull your back out of line So then you go to a chiro guy who cracks your back by force for a few days until the muscles relax and everything snaps back into line. Not fun.

As long as you can crack your own back, you're probably okay. But I would suggest stretching exercises, either before workout or on a regular basis. I stopped seeing the chiropractor when I began yoga. I, too, lift weights, and the yoga exercises which stretch the back and space out the vertebra counteract the problems caused by my own heredity and compression of the spine through weight training. My back usually cracks once or twice during yoga practice, and that's simply as sign that all is well and that my back is aligning itself through the stretching.

My point: as long as you can crack your own, you're probably fine. If you no longer are able to, you're probably already starting to notice back problems, and regular stretching exercises and/or yoga are becoming a necessity. I stick with the yoga because my routine contains some of the absolutely best spine-stretching exercises I've ever had -- much better than anything a chiropractor or physical therapist ever gave me.

thingstodo

I had back trouble years ago and my doctor finally said to have an MRI and prepare for surgery. That's when I finally went to a chiropractor. thank goodness. He fixed my back and things have been good since, with an adjustment every two months or so. I can squat 490 10 times and do all the other lifting I want. Plus, I can ride a racing bike 50+ miles with no back pain.

Most docotrs want to prescribe a pill, surgeons want to cut and chiros want to adjust. They do what they do.

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animosity

i wouldnt crack it so often but i dont think you are going to cause and real damage. the way i see it is, if doesnt hurt, go for it.

every morning when i wake up i crack my back.

xepherys

Cracking joints (which in the back is technically the joint of two vertebrae) is NOT dangerous, despite opinions otherwise. Even the AMA has put articles in it's journals over the last couple years that show it is a safe practice (won't cause swelling or arthritis or anything like a lot of people will say).

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

thingstodo

By the way, I crack my back just going through a normal. yoga-type stretching routine. It cracks in many of the places the chiro hits. Hell, I even crack it when I go heavy on incline presses and it feels GREAT! When the vertebre are lose, everything seems to be lose.

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mockster

When your joints pop, they're just letting air into them so they can move easier. Like always, too much of a good thing can be bad. So don't crack your back all the time or you may get arthritis later on in life.