Cracking Your Own Back: One Chiropractor’s Opinion

by Dr. Kayla Long, D.C.

Is it okay to “crack” your own back? It’s a common question I get asked when someone finds out what I do for a living; I think for a lot of people, there’s a little voice at the back of their mind saying “that’s dangerous!” whenever their back makes that popping sound. There’s also a generations-old fear of developing arthritis from cracking your knuckles. That makes sense to me; it doesn’t sound like a noise your body is supposed to make. And, like anything else, it depends. For some people it genuinely can be dangerous, but for others it’s completely fine.

 Here’s the follow up questions I always ask whenever this comes up in conversation:

1. Does the “pop” happen without trying, or do you have to force it?

      There are some people out there who barely have to move in order to get their back to crack. It happens when they bend down to pick something up, or when they lay on their back, or when they turn their head to look over their shoulder. In my case, my toes crack whenever I walk barefoot. If you’re a member of that club, you can rest easy knowing that you’re not doomed to have crippling arthritis for the rest of your life - you just have a noisy body.

      If, instead, you have to turn your head 90 degrees, bend it backwards, and then crank it with your hand to get that popping sound, that’s different. I don’t recommend that anyone crank on their body, especially their neck, in that manner. If you feel like your neck really needs to pop but you can’t get relief from cervical exercises or stretching, that’s what I’m here for. Please, leave it to the pros.

2.   Do you have a higher risk of adverse events?

      The people who absolutely should not crack their own backs are the people with conditions that leave them at a higher risk of something bad happening.

      Osteoporosis or osteopenia are conditions where your bones have less density than they should. These are naturally occurring conditions usually associated with age and are diagnosed using a DEXA scan. Cracking your own back can cause pain or fracture and is generally not recommended. It is, however, still safe to get adjusted (gently, with a specialized tool that uses much less force) at the chiropractor’s office.

      Spinal instability or herniated discs are both conditions where twisting can make things much worse. If you have severe acute pain in the spine, I do not recommend trying to get your back to pop to relieve it - instead, see your chiropractor, physical therapist, or physician!

3.   Does it hurt?

      When your back pops, does it feel better? Or does it hurt? If cracking your own back causes pain, it’s best to avoid it. It’s probably not helping and may be causing more issues. If your back cracks and you get relief, it’s generally fine. You may have just adjusted yourself and saved some money.

In short, unless it causes pain or there is a medical reason not to, it’s generally fine for your back to crack itself. Your body is not fragile, and you should not be afraid to use it. If for some reason things are so tight or so painful that you can’t get relief, that’s when it’s time to book an appointment. And, if you’re still worried about arthritis from popping your knuckles, here’s an observational case study showing no correlation between the two:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21383216/