@JointCracker:

I found a site with a number of joint cracker testimonials.

The following quote from Matt Furey is very interesting and needs to be followed up:

When I'm in China and go for my daily massage, the lady always cracks the knuckles on my hands and feet. In fact, she snaps them and pops them in a way that would make ole Sister Synesia (and yes, that was her name) cringe.

And do you know - in China - cracking of the joints is NOT considered bad manners or form. It is a health practice.

Cracking your knuckles opens up the meridians of the body so the chi can flow the way it is supposed to.

So I recommend you do it daily.

A teacher at my old high school was a licensed chiropractor and he always told us that cracking your knuckles wouldn't cause arthritis, no matter how much you cracked them. So the Chinese are right once again.

I never pop my jaw on purpose, I have mild TMJ (which isnt fun for those of you who don't have it)… my jaw will pop when I eat things that I have to open my jaw more than normal for, or sometimes when I yawn, or even when I'm talking... chewing gum makes it worse, and it will ache for up to 5 minutes afterward... not cool.

@NeoOsiris:

I noticed that i get lower back pains once in a while, i really hate my job cause im always sitting down i try to stretch. it was really bad a year ago, but ive been training and going to the gym, and doing yoga, skipping rope etc. and getting into shape, i still have a lot of excess weight. can i attribute my fat to the lower back pains, will it be lifted when i get fully into shape? i am 18, i hope this isnt a serious problem cause i am paranoid about my health.

Being in shape helps, yes, but my back got stiff and used to ache even when I WAS in shape, so just keep taking care of yourself and don't lift too much, or overdo your workouts, stretch out well, and if it doesn't get better, I would consider seeing a chiro

@pistache268:

I think back cracking is usually the ligaments snapping over the bone or something like that. It is pretty risky if you do it excessively. I sometimes do it, I twist my back so it cracks all the way up.

Really? o*g I wish I could do that!! I only get a pop or two at a time… how do you go about it?

@Nikki:

I started cracking both my thumbs last year. I do this by bending them downwards. It's my latest habit and I would like to stop but it feels nice when I do it. Its the first thing I do in the morning (before I open my eyes) and its like they become stiff and I have to crack them. It sounds different than when people crack their knuckles, I dont crack my knuckles bcos I dont really like the feeling. I have also been cracking my wrists since I was about 10, I am 20 now. But I also had some bad experiences with joints, my knee in particular. Last year I "tore cartilage in my knee" - or so the doctor told me. I still dont know what caused this! My knee became swollen and stiff about 3 times during last year, I couldn't walk for a couple of days each time. I had an arthroscopy in the beginning of this year to remove the torn cartilage but it didnt help. Now my knee still cracks/pops and it is so sore when this happens. I am too scared to go back to the doctor, after the arthroscopy was unsuccessful, what will the doctor be able to do for me this time? If I could, I would stop cracking all my joints, but I can't stop, its like the habit of biting your nails - which I don't do, thank goodness!

I bite my nails (don't start, I've done it since I was a kid and it's a b***h)… but anyway... I would definately go back to the doctor.... I've never had surgery on my knees, but my cartilage is screwed up in them for some reason and the pop and crack all the time when i go up and down stairs, or work out. My doctor recommended physical therapy for me, but instead I just took home some exercises I could do without having to spend the money on phys. ther. good luck!

@toaster:

First of all, hello to everyone on the board

I started cracking joints when I was younger 12/13/14 or there abouts, it started with the knuckles and knees but has quickly spread to different parts of my body including my lower/upper back and my neck(these three are what I'm really worried about).

My spine is now a lot more arced and 'sticks out' a lot more and I often get lower back pain usually resulting in me cracking it. Likewise my neck seems to be 'sticking out' more and can become very tense at times. I tend to crack my back by either leaning back over a chair or twisting to each side, and my neck by either twisting it sidewards with my hand or pulling my head downwards.

So what I want to ask is, has anyone encountered these symptoms before and have you got any tips on how to stop cracking?

Thanks for your time.

I've heard different things about it…. with regard to your back, hey I think jsut about everyone loves to crack their back, but cracking your neck is nothing but bad news according to things I've read about it. It cracks naturally sometimes but habitually cracking your neck might do some damage ( but look it up just in case I'm wrong)

@rice-milk:

i have no idea if this is possible, but is there any way to crack the middle of your hand ?

Wouldn't that hurt?

@dontmissabeat:

i too am surprised others can do this. i havent met others who could until now

it feels DIVINE and i love it. it seems i cant crack my sternum as often as others though. wasn't able to do this prior to when i started mountain biking

When I used to play softball I could pop my entire back and sternum wayyyy more easily than I can now, I think all the running loosened me up to the point where it came as second nature.

@poppoppop:

Well, I couldn't vote (poll was closed) but I lean right too.

I'm with the right too

@conscentity:

This is probably not good for me, but one of the best feelings in the world is when I have a pretty(and not very heavy) young lady walk on my back with her feet perpendicular to my spine and side stepping. Never touching the neck area. The cracking causes an endorphine release you wouldn't believe. It feels almost as good as s*x.

Has anyone else tried this? Is this really bad for me?

Ah, I wish I had a kid or lightweight person around to walk on my back… I know how it is, after a good back cracking you feel awesome!!