What Is The Back Made Of
In order to understand whats happening when you hear your back or neck crack, its important to know the structure of your back. The spine runs down the centre of your body and it protects your spinal cord. Meanwhile, the vertebrae along your spine help to support your body weight and healthy posture. The average human is actually born with 33 vertebrae, but compression on the lower vertebrae reduces this number to about 24 vertebrae by the time youve reached mid-adulthood. This means that as you age, it becomes even more important to support and maintain the health of your back and spine.
Your vertebrae are divided into sections:
- Your cervical spine
- Your thoracic spine
- Your lumbar spine
Each of these vertebrae in each of the five sections connect with ligaments, muscles and tendons and are connected by soft disks that add cushioning. These discs protect your vertebrae, like the insoles of your shoes cushion and protect your foot bones. These shock-absorbing discs in your vertebrae let you enjoy an active lifestyle, whether youre just going for a walk, or doing something more physically demanding, like surfing.
How Visiting A Chiropractor In Ealing Can Help
Chiropractic has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of back pain. And along with staying active, it may be the best solution for treating back pain. Chiropractic treats the cause of your back pain rather than just the pain itself, unlike painkillers.
Our chiropractors can help by:
Performing chiropractic adjustments
Chiropractors can use a variety of techniques to ensure the spine is correctly aligned if treatment is indicated. Treatment will begin with gentle, specific adjustments . By putting the spine back into correct alignment, muscular pain and joint pain may be resolved.
Offering advice on lifestyle changes
The lifestyle you lead might be contributing to your lower back pain. A chiropractor can help you identify and rectify any damaging lifestyle factors. They can offer advice on a wide variety of topics including diet, exercise, ergonomics and daily habits to help you reduce your lower back pain.
Wrapping up
As you can see, there are several reasons why women suffer from lower back pain more often than men. Fortunately, most women are very attentive when it comes to their health and are willing to seek professional health care advice from a suitably qualified professional when they are in pain.
If you are suffering lower back pain our team of professionally qualified chiropractors at the Spine & Joint Centre in Ealing are here to help you. To book an appointment with one of our chiropractors, call our clinic on 020 8900 9004.
So Is Cracking Your Back Safe
In most cases, yes. As long as you don’t have back damage and you don’t overdo the cracking motion, cracking your back can be harmless and enjoyable. Still, studies have shown that there can be side effects.
Here are the downsides you should know about if you are interested in learning how to crack your back yourself.
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Lower Back Feels Like It Needs To Pop But Wont
If youre dealing with a lower back that feels like it needs to pop but wont, youre not alone. This is a common issue that many people face. There are a number of potential causes for this problem, and fortunately there are also some things you can do to find relief.One possible cause of your lower back pain is a condition called facet joint syndrome. This occurs when the small joints in your spine become irritated or inflamed. This can happen due to overuse, injury, or even arthritis. If facet joint syndrome is causing your pain, you may notice that its worse when you move certain ways or after sitting or standing for long periods of time.Another possibility is that your pain is coming from your muscles rather than your joints. If your muscles are tight and constricted, they can put pressure on your spine and lead to discomfort. This type of muscle tension is often caused by stress or poor posture.Fortunately, there are things you can do to ease both facet joint syndrome and muscle tension-related lower back pain. Stretching and massage can help loosen up tight muscles, while icing the area can reduce inflammation in the joints. Over-the-counter pain medications may also be helpful in managing your discomfort.
Is It Okay To Crack My Back During Pregnancy
Back cracking is safe for pregnant moms as long as theyre cautious and doing it in the right way. Its important to note that discomfort and pain during pregnancy are mostly because of the babys weight and movement.
This is why its safer and more effective to see treatment from a chiropractor whos experienced in providing prenatal care. Also, remember that during pregnancy, your body releases a specific type of hormone called relaxin. This hormone improves the bodys flexibility and its capacity to stretch, both of which are useful during labor.
However, it may cause you to overstretch while attempting to crack your back on your own. Pregnancy discomfort can be managed in a number of ways, but the two most effective are prenatal yoga classes taught by qualified instructors and chiropractic therapy.
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Does Cracking Your Back Stunt Growth
There is a common myth that warns against cracking the lower back since it stunts growth.
The logic behind this myth is that the synovial fluid in your vertebral joint will leak when you crack your back. Fortunately, this is not accurate.
The truth to the matter is: growth is controlled by the epiphyseal plates in the long bones, which tend to close after the age of 1524.
Other Back Extension Exercises
There are several other back extension exercises for people who cannot kneel.
Here are the steps for them:
Prone Extension With Elbows Bent
- Lie down on the floor in a prone position.
- Interlock your hands behind the nape of your neck or hold your hands just behind the ears .
- Raise your head and shoulders from the ground.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
Prone Extension With Arms Straight
- Another variation is to extend your arms behind you, keeping them parallel to the body.
- Raise both the arms and legs from the ground.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
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Degenerating Discs Herniated Discs And Bulging Discs
Spinal discs act as pads between bone. They protect the mobility of the spine. With age, a certain amount of disc degeneration is normal. However, when bone touches bone, or a nerve is pinched, intense pain can follow.
West End Chiropractic Clinic provides powerful treatment for low back pain every day. Patients are treated for:
- Bulging discs, or slipped discs
- Auto accidents affecting the lower back
- Degenerative disc disease
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Chiropractic Adjustment In Colchester Ct
This process releases endorphins, giving you feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. This is why cracking your back provides so much relief. However, cracking your back only moves the weakest joints, the joints that are compensating for subluxations, or a misaligned vertebrae in your spine. Although it may feel good, repetitive and habitual back cracking can actually be detrimental to your health. It can stretch the ligaments around the spine, allowing excessive movement, joint instability, and an unstable body which can lead to further injuries. On the other hand, the chiropractor identifies and treats areas of subluxations with adjustments. You may hear the same popping sound during an adjustment, however the outcome is completely different. Instead of moving the weakest joints, the chiropractor at Casey Chiropractic in Colchester encourages proper movement and alignment, leading to stronger, healthier joints.
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Three Signs You Shouldn’t Crack Your Neck:
- dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
- numbness around the head
- Sudden chest pain with shortness of breath. This can indicate that you may have heart problems! It’s essential to get help as soon as possible for your doctor to know what treatments might work better in your case.
To give you a better overview of how chiropractic care can ease neck pain, visit this website ChiroRehabOfTexas.com or schedule an appointment to reconsider this treatment method.
Reasons To Have A Chiropractic ‘back Crack’
Who knows where the chiropractor popping bones myth got started? We’re not for certain but it probably spun out of the ailments chiropractors tend to treat. Things like:
- Severe pain rendering you almost incapable of simple movements
All of these factors tend to target the lower and upper vertebrae. There are 33 bones in the entire spinal column. Since the attention is focused on this area, the assumption for many is that bones are making all that racket.
Now that you know better, let’s consider each of the benefits of having your back regularly adjusted. There are five main ones.
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Talk To The Person Throughout The Process
What Questions Would You Ask A Patient
If you have ever had a chiropractor adjust your lower back, you may have wondered how they do it. It may seem like they are using all their strength to push on your back, but there is a specific technique involved. Here is how to crack your own lower back like a chiropractor.
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor
- Place your right hand on your left knee and pull it toward your chest
- Use your left hand to reach behind you and grab hold of your right ankle
- Gently pull your right leg toward your body until you feel a stretch in your lower back
- Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side
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Unsure If Chiropractic Care Will Help You
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How We Compare
We get it. You want to ensure you make the right decisions when booking a healthcare appointment.
And you might be wondering whether we are too expensive ?!
Remember that this is an investment in yourself and not a cost you should be price-matching or haggling.
BUT, we have checked our prices against 10 other chiropractic clinics including, Broadgate Spine & Joint Centre, Freedom Clinics & London Bridge Chiropractic, just in case!
We are not the most expensive , but we are also not the cheapest. We do think were the best, given the number of 5-star reviews and recommendations we receive.
With us, you also receive 2 appointments in one when you first join .
If you have any concerns at all, please do email us, and we can arrange a call back from one of our expert Doctors of Chiropractic, or if youre in a decision making mood, why not solve your back problems right NOW, and BOOK HERE?
How To Crack Your Neck And Relieve Muscle Tension
If you experience neck pain, headaches, or have a stiff neck from sitting in front of your computer for too long, then this article is for you. Residents near Carrollton, TX may experience this type of issue. Neck cracking may sound like something that’s not safe to do, but the truth is it can be conducive and beneficial. In this article, we will go over how to crack your neck safely so that you can relieve tension and live a healthier life.
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What Causes A Back To Crack
Medical experts commonly believe that the cracking or popping sound that happens when you twist your back is caused by gas bubbles bursting. These gas bubbles are believed to come from synovial fluid, which is a special fluid inside your joints. Synovial fluid essentially feeds nutrients to the cartilage in your joints to let you move your body smoothly with no pain or tension. The gas is made up of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen and can actually be seen on MRIs and X-rays before being quickly reabsorbed into the body.
Another school of thought is that the cracking sound is caused by a gas-filled space forming in the joints. The theory is essentially the same, except that the bubbles are being created when you twist or manipulate your back. Either way, the cracking and popping sounds seem to be natures way of telling you not to put too much pressure on your joints.
With a really good chiropractic adjustment, you may not hear any cracking or popping sounds at all. If you dont hear any cracking or popping, its because the specific stretches are gently adjusting the problem area, without any need for force or twisting. This is especially important if youre pregnant or have repetitive strain injuries.
Here Are A Few Stretches And Exercises You Could Try At Home:
- Rotational pelvic tilts: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Tilt your pelvic bone upward and hold this position for 5 seconds. The pelvic region is incredibly influential on the results of correcting scoliosis.
- The latissimus dorsi stretch: Grab your hands together above your head and stretch your arms as high as you can. Lean them to the left, hold 5 seconds, and then repeat the same motion in the other direction. Tilt your whole body with your hands as well.
- Neck tilts: Grab the top of your head with your right hand. Slowly pull your head to the right, allowing the left side of your neck to stretch for 20 to 25 seconds. Repeat the same motion to the left side with the opposite hand.
- Proper posture squats are also an excellent exercise. They engage your legs and stabilize your spine from top to bottom. Squats should only be performed if your scoliosis isnt debilitating.
As you can see, there are quite a few different stretches and exercises that you can try at home. To improve the spinal mechanics of your back, you have to remain consistent. Daily exercises are recommended if you decide that you want to do everything of your own accord.
You should also include efforts to maintain good posture throughout your daily routine. Whether youre sitting, standing, or lying down, you need to have your spine adequately aligned. During these times of relaxation, your spine is most likely to shift or move, according to your muscle placement.
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Can You Crack Your Own Back Like A Chiropractor
Yes, you can crack your own back like a chiropractor. However, it is important to understand how the spine and nervous system work before attempting to do so. The spine is made up of vertebrae, which are separated by discs. The discs act as shock absorbers and allow the spine to move. The spinal cord runs through the center of the spine and carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body.The nervous system is complex, but essentially it controls everything that happens in our bodies from heart rate to digestion. When something goes wrong with our nervous system, it can cause all sorts of problems. Thats where chiropractors come in. Chiropractors are trained to identify issues with the spine and nervous system and correct them usingAdjustments.There are many different Adjustment techniques that chiropractors use, but they all essentially involve moving bones back into their proper place. This relieves pressure on nerves and allows the body to heal itself. While you cant exactly replicate what a chiropractor does, cracking your own back can help relieve some pressure on your nerves if done correctly.
Acute Vs Chronic Pain
Whats the difference between these two types of pain? Chronic back pain often results from a disease such as arthritis, cancer, neuropathy, and autoimmune diseases. It is generally defined as lasting for more than six months. Acute back pain, on the other hand, is what happens when you lift a heavy object and strain a muscle, slip and fall on an icy sidewalk, get tackled in a friendly game of football, or experience another kind of accident.
Acute pain usually subsides within a few weeks but may resolve more quickly with treatment. Some of the ways to address and alleviate acute pain include chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage, aqua therapy, electrical stimulation, and heat or cold therapy.
Although many people feel that they should stay immobile and rest when they are experiencing pain, thats actually not the best approach. In fact, while it might be tempting to lounge in bed or relax on the couch and have others wait on you, that might do more harm than good. Moving around sends blood and nutrients to the affected area. This, in turn, helps keep inflammation at a minimum and prevents additional muscle tension.
Its important to realize that narcotic painkillers, muscle relaxants, and even over-the-counter analgesics will not help a patients pain to resolve. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, can reduce inflammation, but otherwise, these medications will only mask the problem.
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How Do You Release Tension In Your Neck
One way is by cracking your neck. This will release the pressure built up in the muscles and discs of the spine and take care of any tension headaches.
It’s important to use caution when doing this because it can be easy to overdo it and injure yourself further if you are not careful about how much force you apply or don’t protect your head while moving. In extreme cases, someone could end up breaking their neck from a misstep.
If you do decide to crack your neck, then make sure that:
- You have a good balance before trying anything
- Your hands should always support the back of the skull at all times
- Don’t bend too far forward
Then, with your fingers on top of the crown and your thumbs underneath it:
Tighten up any muscles in the front of the neck. Bring chin to the chest by tucking head down into shoulder blades . Let go quickly but do not push too hard, or you risk injury. Repeat until the desired effect is achieved.
Tips for how often one should crack their neck vary depending on what medical professionals say some suggest that this can be done every day, while others insist it’s best only once per month when necessary. Again though, always remember that caution must come first to prevent injuring yourself further during movement.
The important thing is to be aware of when tension occurs to take care of it before it becomes a bigger problem.
