Getting up to stretch and feel your back pop is one of the best feelings ever.
The tension leaves your body. The tightness in your back is gone. The feeling of instant relief puts you in a better mood in general.
However, as satisfying as it is. How safe is it?
If you’re wondering how to crack your back safely on your own, this article has you covered. We’ll give you seven effective back-cracking methods, health tips, and more.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Why Your Back Cracks
Synovial fluid is present in all of the joints in your body. It includes the facet joints located in your vertebrae.
The synovial fluid in your facet joints contains air bubbles like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.
Stretching and twisting your spine puts pressure on these air pockets. It causes the gas to release and make popping or cracking sounds in your back.
Why Does Cracking Your Back Feel Good?
Ever wondered why cracking your back feels so good? There’s a scientific explanation for that.
The nerves of the spine have sensory ganglia. It is a group of cells that transmits sensory information to the brain.
A long day of sitting in front of a desk can often lead to your back tense and stiff.
When we crack our back, the brain automatically releases the “pleasure hormones” called endorphins in response.
Cracking Back Benefits
Here are three positive effects you’ll get from cracking your back:
Emits Feeling of Relief & Satisfaction
Joint cracking, as we have mentioned, triggers the release of endorphins in the body.
It’s a similar experience when you crack your knuckles. Doing so gives you a sudden feeling of release.
Cracking your back gives a rush of relief and satisfaction afterward.
Improves Mobility
Your back muscles carry your body’s posture. Alleviating the pressure from your muscle strain can help improve your range of motion.
A study back in 2011 indicated that cracking your back can increase your mobility.
Alleviates Pain and Stiffness
People who suffer from chronic back pain and muscle stiffness find back cracking an effective treatment.
Spinal manipulation helps reduce nerve irritability and promote ligament looseness in the body.
Some might seek this treatment from experts. But it’s certainly safe to self crack your back as long as you do it properly.
On that note, below are seven ways to crack your own back safely.
How To Crack Your Back?
1. Bridge
This back-bending method is useful in stretching the spine, strengthening your core, and cracking your back. It’s a great exercise to use if you are experiencing back stiffness.
Equipment: Yoga Mat
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back. Keep your arms to your sides, palms flat against the ground. Bend your knees with your feet flat against the floor.
- Once you are situated comfortably, tighten your core as you bring your hips slowly upward, knees bent.
- Use both your feet and arms to support your weight. Hold your body up until your thighs and back are parallel to the floor.
- Hold your position for thirty seconds. Keep your breathing in check.
- Slowly dip your body back to the floor to your starting position.
2. Seated Twist
Seated twists are one of the commonly used back cracking methods. This exercise works the spine and the muscles surrounding it. Doing seated twists can also improve your mobility and posture.
Equipment: Yoga Mat
How to Do It:
- Prop yourself on the floor. Sit and extend your right leg in front of you.
- With your right leg extended, put your left leg over your right. Plant your left foot outside of your right knee. Keep your upper body upright as you do so.
- Place your left hand on the floor, just behind your hips. Position your right elbow outside of your left knee before turning your head to look over your left shoulder.
- Proceed to press both your knees and arms into each other to give it a nice stretch.
- You should feel the stretch starting from your lower back and spine.
- Hold it for a few seconds.
- Switch to the opposite side.
3. Back of Chair Stretch
You can try this move anywhere with a chair. It’s an effective way to crack your back and alleviate the tension in your spine. It targets the lower and middle portion of your back.
Equipment: Chair with backrest
How to Do It:
- Find yourself a chair with a sturdy backrest. Wide enough for your shoulder blades to fit over the top.
- You can either extend your arms over your head or interlace your fingers behind your head. It’s up to you.
- Lean back and loosen up. Slow your breathing until you feel relaxed.
- Carefully lean back over the edge of the backrest until you hear a crack from your back.
4. Kneeling Back Extension
This method helps stretch the lower back muscles that support the spine. It’s a perfect exercise to relieve the stiffness if you’ve been sitting all day.
Equipment: Yoga Mat
How to Do It:
- Kneel on the floor until you are situated comfortably.
- You can either cross both your arms over your chest or straight upward, pointing to the ceiling.
- From there, proceed to gather power from your hips and core as you slowly push your butt towards your heels. Keep your chest forward and maintain a neutral spine.
- Dip lower as far as you are comfortable with without compromising your neutral spine.
- Hold that position for a few seconds.
- Return to your starting position.
5. Rocking Stretch
The rocking stretch is a comfortable method you can do to adjust the tension from your back. It helps get rid of the stiff muscles surrounding your spine.
Equipment: Yoga Mat
How to Do It:
- Prop yourself into all-fours on the mat. Keep your knees under the hips and hands under the shoulders.
- Keep your lower back flat and draw your belly button in towards your spine.
- Control your breathing and exhale as you rock back onto your feet. Feel the pulling sensation from your arms until your shoulders are shrugged up to your ears as you rock-backward.
- Keep the back of your neck lengthened.
- Slowly return to your initial position after five breaths.
6. Lying Twist Stretch
This exercise is an easy back cracking method that targets the lower back. It is not complicated to do. It also lets your back muscles feel relaxed and loose afterward.
Equipment: Yoga Mat
How to Do It:
- Your goal here is to do a twisting stretch while lying on the floor.
- Lie with your back flat against the ground. Raise one leg towards your chest, bending your knee.
- With your knee as a lever, Pull on the outside of your knee towards the ground with one hand. It will initiate a rotation in your hips and lower back.
- You can immediately feel your joints pop after doing so.
7. Supine Foam Roller Stretch
If you have a foam roller at home, this is a move you can do. The foam roller can help give the right pressure to crack your back and loosen up your muscles.
Equipment: Yoga Mat and Foam Roller
How to Do It:
- With a foam roller in hand, place it horizontally under your shoulders as you lie on your back. Keep your knees bent as you do so.
- Either place your arms to your sides or lace your fingers together at the back of your head.
- Use the heels of your feet as momentum to propel your body up and down over the foam roller. Roll it against your spine.
- Keep your balance in check while you do this. Direct the roller towards the areas that feel tense.
Possible Risks When Cracking Your Own Back
As advantageous as back cracking can be. There’s still a debate on how safe it is, considering the risks involved.
As with other forms of exercise, there’s a chance of injury if people aren’t too careful.
Below are some of the risks involved. But we’ll give you a few tips to avoid it from happening:
Muscle Tear
A muscle tear can only happen if your stretch was too forceful. Cracking your back with immense pressure can tear your back muscles.
It can be quite painful. It can even cause severe muscle injury if you aren’t careful.
Tip: Try giving your back gentle stretches instead of abrupt forcefulness. Doing simple stretches or gentle stretching is enough.
Osteoarthritis
It could happen if you crack your back too frequently. Cracking your joints too often would lead to complications such as damaged ligaments.
Your synovial capsule would also deteriorate. It would make the bones grind together and cause joint damage and eventually lead to Osteoarthritis.
Tip: Crack your back in moderation. It’s not necessary to do it several times in a row.
Pinched Nerves
You can pinch your nerves if you crack your back too quickly. The sudden force can pinch nerves in your spine.
Having a pinched nerve is very painful. Enough to even debilitate your movement and keep you from doing any exercises at all.
Tip: Don’t crack your back too fast. Be sure to do it correctly as well to avoid pulling and pinching your nerves.
You don’t have to do it quickly to crack your back. Applying the right pressure with moderate intensity is enough.
Is It Bad To Crack Your Back Every Day?
As fantastic as the feeling of cracking your back can be, doing it every day for a long time may not be healthy for you.
If you’re experiencing frequent back pain from your current work or lifestyle, there are other methods you can do.
Here are some methods to combat your back pain and ease the stiffness in your muscles:
Yoga
Yoga is easy and one of the best workouts that can boost your flexibility and ease your body’s tension.
This exercise can also deepen your meditation. It will leave you feeling relaxed and energized to conquer your day.
Pilates
Pilates is usually for people who are trying to recover from an injury.
While yoga is more about boosting the union of body and mind, Pilates is more about improving your body’s muscle strength, balance, and posture.
Aerobic Exercise
Cardio exercises are another excellent alternative to keep you from cracking your back too often.
It keeps your muscles strong and flexible. Aerobic exercises also help aid the circulation of nutrients your spine needs to stay healthy.
Change Your Diet
Commit yourself to a healthy and well-balanced diet.
Poor eating habits can be one of the reasons for back pain. Having an unhealthy diet can lead to excess weight.
Lacking in vitamin D and calcium may also cause your bones to get brittle and increase the risk of back problems.
See a Doctor
Sometimes a constant urge to crack your back may indicate an underlying cause. When worse comes to worst, the best option for you is to visit your local physician.
Especially if you experience symptoms like swelling, severe discomfort in movement, or if you’re experiencing chronic back pain for a long time.
Your doctor can assess your situation and suggest the right treatment for you.
Consider Physical Therapy
You don’t have to go through your back pain alone. A study in 2018 shows how physical therapy is an effective way to combat back pain.
You can visit a physical therapist. They can help teach you the right exercises to target the stiffness and pain in your back.
That way, you’ll be able to do targeted exercises on your own safely and effectively.
The Bottom Line
Back Cracking is a helpful way to relieve back pain. However, forming it into a frequent and compulsive habit can be risky.
Everything is good, but only when done in moderation. After all, cracking your back can give a lot of benefits as well.
With that in mind, it’s best to consult your doctor first before engaging in this exercise.
