Do you ever put your foot on a diagonal with the floor and press down so that the toes curl under your foot? I have to do that in the morning to crack them all.

nope, US, with our Wonderful healthcare (extreme sarcasm)

I think that a moderate amount of cracking is okay. If your neck or spine or whatever cracks while you are doing stretches that say, a physical therapist would recommend, I'd say its unavoidable. One for the neck that I like is putting your palm against the side of your head and then pushing against it (with your head). Always good for a couple healthy cracks a day. i think you get into trouble when you start really wrenching things just to get that unattainable pop or release.

Yeah… but at that point I would have paid anything to feel better. Luckily, insurance covered a good portion of it.

All the neck stretches I do make my neck crack while I do them, so… :?:

I wonder how you're doing. Unfortunately, I was in a very similar condition about 7 years ago (I am 27 now). The good news is, although I don't feel great all the time now, I do feel much, much better than I used to. It seems that the majority of crackers view it as annoying or an inconvenience, but its totally different when you feel like you always have to do it, and are constantly uncomfortable. I remember cracking my neck so much and feeling so bad that I felt like tilting my head to one side and taking a knife and cutting through the tendon or muscle or whatever that was that felt like a tense guitar string in my neck, just to relieve the feeling. I don't know what happened but it did slowly get better. I still crack my spine and neck on a regular basis, as well as my sternum, knuckles, toes, and ribs, and although I usually wake up at least once a night and have to crack my spine and neck just to get somewhat comfortable, my muscles aren't as tense as they used to be and my general quality of life is much better. I still wish there was a better understanding of this stuff in the medical world. I tried my regular doctor, chiropractor, acupuncture, physical therapy, a shrink, X-Rays, MRIS, massage, supplements (glucosamine, chondrotin)… so many different things that when I gradually did start to feel better I couldn't tell who or what caused it or if my body was just naturally adjusting/healing. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that there are others out there with the exact same problem, happening at the same young age, and that there is hope.