If you’ve ever confessed to us that you “self-crack,” “self-pop” or home manipulate your spine, you probably recall our eyes bugging out of their sockets, our mouths dropping open and our passionate speech to STOP doing that. Well this blog is for anyone who hasn’t ‘fessed up to hear our speech about just how BAD self-manipulating your own spine is.
Self-popping may be a habit and it might even appear to give you a temporary “relief” from pain or tightness, but in actuality it is likely worsening your condition. Popping your own neck or back (or having a friend walk on your back) is not the same as having a Doctor of Chiropractic carefully assess your spine, determine which vertebrae to move and in what direction and how much force to use. Home manipulation can be downright dangerous, creating areas of hypermobility (too much movement) and leaving the stuck vertebrae even more stuck. If you’ve already fallen into this nasty trap, it’s likely a sign that you intuitively know that there is a problem in your spine. But you’ll never be able to fix it yourself. Even chiropractors can’t adjust themselves. So please, “just say no” to self-crack, and leave it to the professionals. And if you know someone who does this, encourage them to find a chiropractor. Check out the newly published research below on this very topic.
Efficacy of Chiropractic Adjustments versus Self-Manipulation of the Lumbar Spine in a 17-year-old Male with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Case Study
Steven Windwer, DC, PT & Mark Wolfman, DC
Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ April 22, 2015 ~ Pages 43-47
This study documents a patient who began habitually self-manipulating his lower back after he suffered an injury weight lifting. His low back pain worsened over the period of a year, until he sought chiropractic care. His chiropractic examination revealed areas of hypermobility (too much movement) and also areas of segmental hypomobility (too little movement – think “stuck” vertebrae). Pain medications and injections by his medical provider proved ineffective. The author writes “Specific chiropractic care 3 times weekly for 3 months provided relief of low back pain.” The study’s authors concluded that “this case suggests that specific high-velocity low-amplitude chiropractic adjustments are safer and more effective at treating low back pain than self-manipulating, and that non-specific self-manipulation can exacerbate current problems in patients.”
http://vertebralsubluxation.sharepoint.com/Pages/2013_1175_selfmanipulation.aspx