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"Popping" Your Back: Is It the Answer

This may change your mind about popping your back.--Editor

Have you ever twisted your upper back slowly to the right and then to the left, waiting for a feeling of less tension there? What happens when you twist and turn? Did you hear a pop? Or a series of joint pops like popcorn popping? Did it result in relief of some minor back pain? Do you do similar movements for other joints to get the "pop" going during the day or night?

Chiropractor Who Still Makes House Calls?

I consulted an expert to find out everything people need to know about the "pop," to dispel any myths that you may have picked up throughout the years. My expert, Dr. James Stirton, D.C., is one of Sacramento's finest chiropractors one of the few in the nation who still performs chiropractic the old-fashioned way, by making house calls.

"The joint pop sound is actually the release of gas from the joints,' Dr. James Stirton said.

"There is a good pop and a bad pop. A good pop is when you move a certain way and your body's joints make a popping sound and the joint function is restored. You feel a little better. This happens in normal movement during the day," Dr. Stirton reported.

"Then there is the bad joint pop which happens during an injury. Maybe you twist and turn while lifting something, like moving the laundry to the dryer. You hear a pop and then you can't straighten up. What happened here is that you pushed the spinal bone further out of alignment and injured the ligaments and/or tendons. This sprain/strain of these vital tissues results in lost range of motion and function in the injured."

According to Dr. James Stirton, and based on his experience treating patients now for several years, people have some misconceptions about popping their spines and/or chiropractic adjustments. Here they are:

1. The louder the joint pop or the more pops you hear equals a better chiropractic adjustment.

Everyone's joints are different. Everyone has joints but there are subtle anatomical differences from person to person. The amount or extent that a joint emits an audible sound when it is adjusted varies significantly from patient to patient depending on the conditions of that particular joint on that particular day for that particular patient. One person may "pop" the first time he's adjusted while another doesn"t pop until the second or third adjustment.

Moreover and equally interesting, one person can "pop" louder than another and experience the same positive health result. The restoration of range of motion is the adjustment not the emission of sound.

2. When you're hurting after an injury, you should wait until you're better to go to the chiropractor.

If you wait until you feel better, your joint range of motion only continues to degrade. The less range of motion, the more pain you'll have. Waiting until you don't hurt anymore is neglect of your condition and can potentially cause permanent impairment.

Chiropractic physicians use a judicious amount of force, particularly if the patient is sore from injuries. The experience and training of a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine allows him to choose the appropriate technique and lighter level of force to best meet the needs of the patient's condition. Adjustments don't make your physical injury worse, neglect does.

3. It's important to try to "pop" yourself.

When one tries to pop their joints without any experience, ability or training to determine the correct way, direction or the amount of force to use to make a safe, healthful spinal adjustment, there's trouble. Chiropractors restore and correct range of motion that has been lost, in a specific direction with an appropriate amount of force based on the experience of performing tens of thousands of spinal adjustments. A self adjuster, someone who adjusts himself without education on it, uses as much force as they can; in whatever direction they can (not necessarily the right direction), until they get their spine or joint to "pop." This can damage the healthy tissues in their backs as easily as it can help the poorly moving areas.

Editor Note: Dr. James Stirton sees a lot of patients who try to pop their own back, and they are not doing well as a result of it. They need the specific adjustment as part of their care.

4. The deeper the sound of the pop, the better the adjustment.

Like in #1, the types of sounds vary from person to person and from day to day. As a patient's condition improves, I often expect less sound with their adjustments. Often I find fewer spots to adjust along their spine and they require less force to move them, and overall, emit less in the sound department.

5. When you have a cold or the flu, you should wait until you are fully recovered before seeing your chiropractor.

This is the best time to go to the chiropractor because the adjustments will provide better function and less nerve irritation which helps you heal better than if you neglected your spine. Spinal motion problems affect the nerves that exit the spine as well as the soft tissues (muscles) that give the aches and pain of arthritic degeneration. Nerves coordinate healing in your body. Better nerve function means better healing potential. I consider it one of the best times to get my spine checked when I am sick.

6. Every time you get a spinal adjustment, you'll get the same result.

As mentioned in #1, everyone's joints are different. This is partly because as your body ages, changes occur in how your body works. The resilience of your tissues changes and degrades over time. Your body's flexibility decreases, especially at joints where old problems exist. Your vitality decreases. Thus, your body can be expected to act differently each time it is adjusted.

For many patients, their response to a spinal adjustment is very similar each time over the years. They get long-lasting relief and better health. Others, unfortunately, experience a degrading effect over time; usually as the chronicity of their spinal problems worsen as their body ages. The longer a problem sits the worse it gets.

Regardless of the level of symptomatic relief a patient gets from an adjustment, it is still essential to periodically restore the mobility of these spinal joints to reduce the stress and degenerative changes at these areas.

"The two situations where people make their own condition worse are these: 1) waiting too long to get appropriate care for whatever reason (neglect), and 2) trying to "pop" yourself instead seeing a trained professional.

"The good news is that if you get adjusted on a regular basis according to what your individual situation needs, you'll prevent neglect and prevent contributing to loss of motion in the spine. And that translates to better nerve and body function — unrestricted — and ultimately better overall health," states Dr. James Stirton.

Resource on Chiropractic Medicine

1. Chiropractic News Find out the latest news in chiropractic medicine here, and also find a chiropractic physician close to you.