Many people relate the sound of popping their own neck or back to the sound often heard in conjunction with a chiropractic adjustment.  However, the two are definitely not the same thing!  Many people feel an urge to pop their neck or back because one of the vertebra is not moving properly.  Unfortunately, without the specificity of a chiropractic adjustment, the bone that actually moves is not the one that is causing the discomfort or pain.  This is why a person who has popped their own neck or back often feels the urge to do so again within a few short minutes or hours.
 
Doctors of Chiropractic use specific forces and vectors to restore proper motion to those bones that are not moving properly (subluxated).  This is restoring proper motion to an improperly moving segment.  Popping your own neck or back is usually making a compensatory joint (one that already moves too much!) even more hyper-mobile.  If you feel this urge to pop your neck or back, you likely have subluxation, and it would benefit you to have a thorough chiropractic evaluation to determine if you could benefit from chiropractic care.

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