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Many people have seen cracking, snapping, and popping in their necks and backs. There are too many homemade tutorials that claim to be therapeutic and relaxing. Some would teach to do on their own, which can be very dangerous because this can cause other health problems as previous blogs have mentioned.
Forceful cracking of the neck and back by an unprofessional can cause unwanted side effects because there is no knowledge and experience from a professional. So people who learn forceful cracking the neck and back on youtube, rely on their muscle force and override the resistance of another. There is a sheer force of mass and speed that overrides the person’s response to guard and move the joints in order to create the sound effects. Which this sound is often mistaken for the therapeutic product for relaxation and removing pain. While there is a cracking, popping, and snapping going on, there is also the possibility of damaging structures.
1. Sprain the local muscle groups, which can cause soreness, sharp pains, and dull achiness from damaging the muscles from the sudden shear force.
2. Damage the disc from twisting the disc and tearing the annular fibers of the disc, which can endanger the person to have disc herniations in the future.
3. Fracture the spine and causing more permanent damages. Bones in the spine can be in a delicate situation and professionals who take x-rays will know this possibility.
There are reasons why physical assessments and having a professional licensure is required for a Chiropractor to adjust the spine. Many people assume it is easy what a Chiropractor does and mimics their chiropractic adjustment. As mentioned in previous blogs before, chiropractic isn’t like using a hammer and slamming the bent nail in. A professional knows that we have to be careful and effective. Tapping and directing carefully to put the nail where it needs to be.
A chiropractic adjustment is often confused with moving spine; like it is moving an inanimate object. The problem is that that moving the spine involves a living person. Which means this bone isn’t an object but a living object. So forcefully cracking or moving a spine will be difficult if the person who is receiving it wasn’t so willing to allow it to move. This will be like hitting a brick wall. So then person pushes harder and harder and the person receiving the push will get stiffer and stiffer. Once the person receiving the push gives in a little, one can imagine the amount of force may have caused some problems.
A Chiropractic legend Dr. Sigafoose retold his story about his encounter with Dr. Gonstead. Dr. Gonstead was an icon for chiropractors. If you wanted to be the best, you have to adjust like Dr. Gonstead. He sat next to him at a conference and was told from Dr. Gonstead that one must be one with the bone to adjust the bone. Many of his students that experienced his adjustments mentioned his hands were like pillows and never suspected anything forceful. Dr. Gonstead had rheumatoid arthritis that was cured with chiropractic when he was young. Since then he because of a chiropractor, developed a specific chiropractic technique and a system to do chiropractic adjustment that did not require a forceful maneuver.
Chiropractic adjustment is an Art of Ease
Chiropractic adjustments seem like a physical maneuver only, but it is a cooperation between the chiropractor and the person who is receiving the chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic adjustment was never meant to be a forceful maneuver but a gentle guided touch with slight speed. Dr. Gonstead was never known to be a forceful chiropractor, he was known for his gentle pillow like hands that will help the nervous system to ease.
The less force utilized in a chiropractic adjustment of the spine, there is more skill and finesse. Using brute force often does not produce the same result compared to a professional, specific, diligent chiropractic adjustment. These skills take many years to master and continued training. There are skill levels in chiropractors compared to a novice or amateur who is trying to copy the chiropractic adjustment.
When critics argue that they do not need training and that they can produce the same result as a professional, that depends on what they are looking for. If a forceful cracking of the neck and back is the product you want then you might be able to reproduce that. When the condition is more complex, severe pain is involved, and daily activity is diminished, the forceful cracking may or may not beneficial to the person in pain. Examination and assessment are needed for a specific adjustment.
To learn more, contact our Edina chiropractor today