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Couldn't I just "crack" my own back/neck? (Or have a friend do it for me?) Anyone can move bones. Anyone can make joints "pop". Not just anyone can do it right. Chiropractors have extensive, specialized training in the art, science and philosophy associated with spinal manipulation. The sensation of tightness, restriction or pain that you are feeling in your back or neck is caused by a jammed or fixated bone (vertebra) or joint. Often, this fixated joint is accompanied by one or more joints that moves too much (hypermobile), as a compensation. When you, or a friend, "crack" or "pop" your spine, you are introducing a force and a motion into a series of bones. Without the proper control of this force, it will tend to be taken up by the hypermobile joints, since they are easier to move. The fixated joint stays fixed... the hypermobile joints are forced to move even more. Not only does the problem remain... it gets worse. "But I feel better when I crack my neck (back)." — Research shows that the mobilization of joints, whether they need it or not, causes the body to release special pain killing compounds, known as endorphins and enkephlins, which cause a brief period of euphoria and pain relief. If the proper correction is not performed, the pain returns when the 'pain killers' wear off. That's why most self- adjusters need to "crack" themselves more and more all the time, until they do it every few minutes. The more they do it, the worse they get, the more they need to do it... When a Chiropractor performs an adjustment, he/she controls the force/motion to alleviate the fixated joint, without applying undue stress or strain to joints that are already moving enough or too much. This is why a Chiropractic student has over a thousand hours of training specifically in manipulation techniques. |