After a long day bent over your laptop, you may feel tempted to stand up, stretch, and crack your neck or back. This “self-adjustment” provides instant relief but can be dangerous if done too frequently or forcefully.
Read on to find out more about the discomfort you’re experiencing and what you should (or should not) do.
What causes the discomfort?
There are many factors that leads to back and neck discomfort. One of which is the prolonged poor posture of using mobile devices. If you feel the need to pop your neck or back, it means that areas of your spine are misaligned, causing the surrounding muscles to tighten and trapping air bubbles in the joint space. The resulting discomfort is your nerves telling you something is wrong and that you should go for a chiropractic adjustment.
What is a chiropractic adjustment?
A chiropractic adjustment, otherwise known as spinal manipulation, is a therapeutic procedure done by a skilled professional to manipulate the spine and other body parts. By applying a controlled and targeted force to a spinal joint, practitioners can reduce pain and stiffness, improve joint mobility, and reduce muscle tension.
What’s wrong with self-adjusting?
Performing a chiropractic adjustment on yourself is ineffective at best and risky at worst.
When you crack your neck and back on your own, you are unlikely to address the root problem. It feels satisfying because the gas bubbles in the synovial fluid of the joint pop, thus releasing pressure, and the body releases endorphins, which act as natural painkillers. However, it is usually the hypermobile joints (i.e., joints with an abnormally large range of movement) that crack instead of the ones that are stuck and causing stiffness.
Because you are not addressing the root problem, the tension will likely build up again, leading the discomfort to return. This creates a cycle in which the pain keeps returning, and you constantly crack your neck and back for short-term relief.
This cycle causes certain joints to become even more hypermobile. Your muscles and tendons must then put in extra effort to hold your joints in place, thus over-exerting your back muscles and creating more tension.
Furthermore, using too much force when cracking your neck and back may lead to pinched nerves, leading to more pain and limited mobility.
What should you do?
If you’re feeling the need to crack your neck and back, you should visit a chiropractor. They perform spinal examinations before adjusting your spine, thus allowing them to identify the exact area where there is misalignment and provide targeted care. Hence, they can address the underlying problem.
It also helps to do stretching exercises regularly to reduce the tension in your body.
Conclusion
The spine is a complex structure that requires delicate care and should thus be left to professionals to manipulate. Self-adjusting may be satisfying for a short while but may have long-term effects on your health.
If you’re experiencing discomfort and looking for frozen shoulder treatment or lower back pain treatment in Singapore, head to Healing Hands to book an appointment with a chiropractor. Healing Hands also conducts corporate health wellness programs with 99% patient satisfaction. Contact us at https://healinghands.com.sg/ to learn more about our services today.
