Have you ever felt some stiffness in your spine after some heavy sleeping or heavy physical activity? If so, you might have found relief by twisting your spine — and feeling each vertebra crack, from your pelvis to your shoulders. Maybe you’ve gone to a chiropractor for a spinal adjustment and felt cracks in your back like you’ve never experienced before.
The spine protects nerves that connect to different parts of your body to help you move. It supports your entire upper body, and yet it’s also very delicate. You should be very gentle when cracking your back and avoid abrupt or forceful movements. If your back is bothering you, see a medical professional with the credentials and experience to do spinal manipulations safely.
Hearing an audible crack in your joints may feel strange, but it’s a natural phenomenon and usually harmless. Most people don’t know that there are a few different reasons why joints may crack, including those in your spine.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss four reasons why your back may crack when you twist it.
4 reasons why your back may crack when you twist it
Each vertebra in your spine has four facet joints. That adds up to a lot of sites where you might hear cracking. The vertebrae or bones in your spine are held together by ligaments, and your tendons attach muscles to these bones. Certain types of normal movement can cause these parts of the spine to shift or allow gas bubbles to form between them. Most often, when you hear your back crack, it’s a micro-movement or a gas bubble popping.
Like joints in other parts of the body, the spine can start to wear away from repetitive movement or different types of arthritis. Degeneration and arthritis can cause joints in the spine to pop more often than usual. If you’re noticing popping in your back or other joints more frequently, you should see a physical therapist or a chiropractor.
The following are four reasons why your back may crack when you twist it:
- Movement in spinal anatomy — Joints, ligaments or tendons may crack when they move into or out of their proper position.
- Gas bubbles in synovial fluid — When your joints stretch, the pressure inside them changes. Bubbles of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide may form, and you can hear a cracking noise when they pop.
- Arthritis — Different types of arthritis can cause wear and tear on your spine, making it pop more frequently.
- Joint degeneration — Repetitive movement can also wear down joints in your spine, causing them to crack.
Get a spine health checkup at REPAIR SI
Because the spine is a complex structure with many joints, it’s very common to have misalignments that cause pain. Low back pain is the top leading cause of disability in the world with the most potential for rehabilitation. There are treatments that can help with back pain, so there’s a good chance you can get long-term relief from a “bad back.”
If you’re wondering whether your back cracking is healthy, REPAIR SI can help you find out. Meet with one of our doctors of chiropractic or physical therapy for an examination and ask them all your spine health questions.
Not sure if chiropractic or physical therapy is right for you? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment. Let’s talk through your healthy history and your wellness goals to identify some options together.