That’s nice. But I believe that yoga is not just only for old people. I am 25 and I regularly attend yoga classes. So one doesn’t think about the age when you want to start yoga. Just grab a t-shirt, alo leggings and a yoga mat and join the nearest yoga class. There's nothing to worry about.

I promised to update this thread when I have done more experimenting with supplements. Better late than never. 😄

For now almost 3 years, I have daily taken 2 x 1000mg pure MSM and 3 x 500mg green-lipped mussel capsules. I took care to choose a brand on the green-lipped capsules which has very little iodine so the regular iodine intake would be irrelevant.

Well, what can I say. MSM clearly had a positive effect on my skin, so I kept taking MSM. I believe the green-lipped mussels do help my joints in a way that I can quicker recoup from a bad joint cracking day.

Both supplements are very affordable and do more good than harm so I kept taking them till this day.

for me no, i stretch to lessen the stiffness especially in my back but it doesn't take the urge out to crack. i seriously need help.

a friend of mine cracks his neck like crazy! i do crack my toes out of habit but i'm a bit hesitant with the neck. as long as it doesnt hurt, there's nothing to worry about i suppose.

@jtkalehua:

I've been to the Chiropractor a few times. I used to go on a regular basis when I first got injured. But I dunno, here in the US, Chiropractic is a pretty controversial topic. It seems to me that all Chiropractors are is just a professional joint cracker. No matter which Chiropractor I went to, they all did the same thing. The adjustments all consisted of the same techniques. The would start with my thoracic spine, then have me lay on my side and crack my lumbar. Then cracked my neck. And if you watch any of the countless videos on youtube of adjustments, you'll see they're all the same.

Do you feel it helped you at all?

Interesting theory, I've read a lot about the impact of diet

You could also go to a chiropractor for help and advice. I like yoga because it not only helps me physically but mentally as well. I practice yoga about twice a week and have been doing it for a little over a year.

Clarisa, Health Insurance Advisor

Hello Jaw Cracker. Thanks for the post.

I can't add much to what I have already written – not that you were looking for more from me of course. But I think it is smart to help others who may show up here. Joint cracking can be confusing, if and when it gets out of hand.

As it may have, in my own case!

I am still cracking. As I said before, it is now focused on the mid-back area. It can go on for hours. It always seems to be addressing needed structural changes. But it just never stops. I assume it is going somewhere useful. It definitely seems to be... but the fact that it never resolves, or so far has not resolved, has me wondering sometimes.

Like you though, I see changes which seem very good. I stand taller now than before, and lots straighter. Several problems have diminished or gone away; and anyone interested in those can look for my earlier posts about that.

djj, since you asked, I will now put in the same message that I sent you in your inbox here, with a new comment too, below it.

I don't consider myself an expert on yoga, and so feel a little odd recommending anything in that realm. But I can say what I have done.

I learned a useful set of poses long ago, in a fee class we had back then in my hometown. More recently I learned more from several videos – the names Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden come to mind, as presenting useful videos, which are surely now available in DVD. The best such video presentation that I know about is by Bidyut K. Bose. Actually, it is on DVD only and not on video. Here is a description of it from his website (niroga.org😞

http://www.niroga.org/store/index.php

It is a bit expensive at $40. It is also very complete, with 1 1/2 hours worth, and presents a graduated approach. I know B.K Bose and respect him highly.

If money is a problem, it may be possible to borrow these things from a library. We can do that in the US, at least in our area here.

I find that, for me, the plow is a really smart one to do for neck problems. Some people wonder if it causes neck problems. In my opinion and experience, for what those are worth, it helps to loosen up rigidities in the upper body and neck. At least it has done so for me. Everyone needs to evaluate it for themselves, checking with knowledgeable experts.

But it is not a good idea to do only one asana. One needs the balance of a set of asanas, so that the loosening up is more general. Problems arise whan loosening up is limited to one or a few areas.

I've soaked in an epsom salt bath before for some sore muscles in my legs. It helped the soreness and felt nice. Once I drank water mixed with epsom salt as a laxative. That worked really well. It tastes nasty though. It's very cheap and is usually found near the home enema kits.

Sign me up! :twisted:

Hahah, you wouldn't believe how often I have dreamed about replacing all my joints which have an annoyingly high cracking-maintenance with robotic replacements. :lol:
Our human bodies have many faults. Teeth and joints being the main problem areas in my humble opinion.

I'd want to unlearn joint cracking, if I was experiencing extreme symptoms, like I have when I founded this site:

Such high cracking urges, that they have a negative impact on your quality of life Subconscious cracking, feeling out of control Abnormal regular rituals of cracking (like before going to bed, getting out of bed)

I succeeded to stop cracking most of my joints by persistently resisting the urges. I still cave in when under high pressure (read: stress) and such. I can of course still crack every joint, if I want to.
It is a very long way to go (maybe impossible) if you truly want to unlearn your ability to crack a joint. It is much easier to unlearn your desire to constantly crack your joints since for the most part this is learned behavior.

Fascinating, has anyone tried 'Atlas Orthogonal' yet? Does it help relieve cracking urges?

improve your core muscles through pilates, yoga, weights…with weak cores, you will not be able to stand up straight.

Blaze - I feel your opinion of chiropractors is wrong…you should try it for awhile. People go to doctors for ongoing issues repeatedly, why not chiros? Also the patient is responsible for improving their health and physical condition. Does the patient exercise, yoga, pilates, run, weights, or anyhting? If they do not, how are the patients helping to improve their condition? What about patients dietary situation? Do they eat better, or continue to eat badly?

MC you said your vegetarian?
I hate eating meat, but I have to to keep up with my work. (I work on my parents dairy farm)
how in the world do you keep up with your cracking?
I tried going vegan for about five months, it was hard for me and I put on quite a bit of weight. You must be quite strong.
Or do you have a special diet?

Ive tried a few things, but my back was getting too bad and I didnt want to go to the doctor because they either suggest medicine or surgery.
Meanwhile my brothers were trying to get me to go to the doctor but i wouldnt accept. After that they started bothering me about working and then they started to tell me I needed mental help. which just makes me depressed because it just seems like they just want to f–k with me.

OCD, Manic depressive, and bipolar are all disorders that are blown way out of perspective and surprisingly most likely a direct result of a lack of neuromelanin. I took psychology 101 in college and studied different disorders and learned how the brain functions, with electrical signals (which in turn create light) and so forth, so it just seemed elementary that melanin a dark oil would have an effect on the bright electrical signals happening throughout the brain. Now I just get depressed when people try to tell me that I have some sort of mental disease where Im somehow unable to comprehend my own physical condition. These people are dumb as f--k and will discover some time in the distant future what mental disorders really are. Im not talking about situations like underdeveloped brain structures, damage to brain structures or tumors but it does include a lot of the more simple mental disorders associated with anxiety and that sort of stuff. Im guessing that people who actually understand cracking will know what Im talking about, especially in the case of back and hip pain and how people can come down on you for not being healthy and not doing as much work and that sort of stuff.

I dont plan on cracking for much longer, my back has been getting better with a lot of strength training (back extensions as well as a plethora of other exercises) and quite a bit of low impact cardio. In my experience, strength training is more important albeit I still do quite a bit of cardio. As well as following a strict diet, my biggest problem now, morons who have no clue how much pain im in when I bend down to do something and feel a sharp shooting pain in my back, and then I start sprawling around on the floor until I can get up safely. Thats not funny, dont laugh. Then later on in the day they tell me I got mental problems and how stupid I am for having a bad back. Now thats funny, but highly disappointing.

Ive been extremely active my entire life ( Im 26 years old), the last ten years, I have probably spent two hours each day playing sports. Particularly basketball and soccer. Both sports have high impact on the hip joints which concordantly effects my back. Since my back has been screwed, I started biking 90Km a day on the recumbent bike while playing Need For Speed Pro Street on the PS3. Its fun as h**l, feels like your running two hundred miles an hour. Like I said, in my opinion the cardio isnt nearly as important as the strength training but it does effect my blood pressure and caloric intake, that way I can utilize more food in a shorter time span essentially speeding the digestive process up in its entirety.
Anyway as of right now I am extremely disappointed with the way doctors and even the everyday person handles cracking and other problems like mental disorders associated with bad health and cracking in particular. Hopefully I will be able to do something about it, because the way I see it this world is screwed. And I dont intend, on dying, being the reason why this world ended up in h**l.
peace.