I pull my wrists forward as well and it feels amazing.

I pull my ankles backwards and feels the same as my wrists, feels the best when my feet are cold.

uhm…no

Here is something interesting…

Went to the chiro yesterday as part of my weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) visit and complained about feeling like a 40 year old (I'm 23). Of course this brought on some laughter because my chiro is soon to be 40. Anyway, upon telling him how much pain I am in he decides to check me out and suggests doing the roller table after my adjustments.

He said my back is moving pretty good but my neck on the other hand...not so much. He said my neck feels like I've suffered from whiplash! He got very concerned and asked if something happened this past week and my answer was no.

He got one side really good but the other, no luck whatsoever. And as he was finishing up with my neck stretch...BAM! My whole back starts to spasm. He decided against the roller table.

I'm trying to figure out if my own neck cracks are causing these whiplash related symptoms and if they are, can you say WOW?! Who gives themself whiplash?!

sorry DJ, I'm afraid I cannot help you. As a student of the profession, it would be unethical and based on previous research, it seems as though you are receiving the professional help you need and have plenty of outside people offering advice, so I don't think I – someone who is only knowledgeable on the matter with no field experience -- can really help you.

@Boop:

Hmm, let's see if I can explain it better. It sounds weird though, right? haha!

Okay:

Get on all fours, on your hands and knees like a dog or some such thing.

Arch your back, not up, but down, and look up at the ceiling as best you can. So I guess that could sound like a banana on all fours? LOL! Arching helps the other person to get a better grip on the skin over your spine.

Then get your partner to start from the base of your spine and working up (I usually have him stop just below my shoulder blades), pinching the skin firmly over your spine with two hands and pull up, no pushing down. Think of it as the exact opposite to how people usually have someone crack their back (which is usually pushing down).

So in theory, when your back is all compressed from the stresses of the day (walking, sitting, exercising, so on), I feel the by doing this you are literally pulling compressed discs out and into their original alignment.

I mentioned this to a chiropractor once who said it certainly isn't hurting anything, so no harm no foul.

I usually get a dozen pops or so. The ones near the base are usually just small pops but as you work up, they get LOUDER! Sometimes, if you get a good grip, you can pull two or three vertebrae at once! And yes, you can literally feel individual verts. shifting and popping, so can your partner! It's very, very satisfying!

I recommend it to anyone who can tolerate someone else pulling their back like that. My partner doesn't like it because the pinching/gripping of the skin itself hurts, not the popping. I personally love it and could literally be lifted off of the floor by my skin alone without feeling pain! There is a type of massage I enjoy with the back pulling, it has a real name (Tai Ne? Something weird like that) that involves pinching, pulling, and rolling the skin. It feels WONDERFUL on my back, I can feel my blood circulating and the skin gets hot. Very nice after a tough day.

Aside from my back, I pop the usual: all toes (including the tarsals or whichever of the foot), knees, hips, neck, all of the joint in my fingers (even that teeny joint in my thumbs), my wrists, and jaw. I am also "double jointed" or whatever in all of these places and more.

Also: there is a way to pull your back by yourself if you care to know.

SO!

Does anyone else do this? LOL. I am going to guess: No. But maybe you'll give it a try?

WOW! Yeah, I have never heard of it done this way…but I really want to try. Gotta convince the hubby to try it, lol. I am definitely interested in how you do this yourself!

OK, just wait a minute. WHAT?!?! reads that post again

let me get this straight, you lie on the ground like…belly to the ground or back to the ground? Because, belly to the ground sounds kind of awkward -- I'm trying to think of how your describing it -- if your belly on the ground and then push yourself up with your arms, then you would look like a...uh...banana on the floor sort of thing (that was the closest thing I could think of to the angle of the arch in your back) and then your fiance goes along your spine and...like pushes into your spine or like...pulls up on your spine? If he pulls up on your spine then I'm really confused -- I'm trying to figure out how that would work -- first thing that comes to mind is pulling from the neck (which I know is not what you said but I'm trying to think dynamic here).

That's kinda cool, I've never seen or heard of it being done like that. Normally, my back cracking happens while laying flat and then I have my hubby do it either the straight down crack or the down and up crack which is sort of like a massage crack -- like pushing down on my spine with his fingers while going up and into my spine in one movement rather than each vertebra at a time type of thing.

I'm jealous that you can crack your wrists so often!!!

Cracking my wrists has been a new development for me too, although, it's been at least a year since I've started. I bend my wrists towards me rather than away to get them to crack and I can only do this…twice a week if I get lucky. The first time I did it, it was definitely a shock. I can only do it twice a week because that's all that they will allow, I try to do it more but I won't get anything (I kinda hate that!)

If it is causing pain, I would definitely slow it down a bit or, as Danielle said, you might just be stretching too much. Mine sort of hurt when I crack them too but, it's a good hurt. Kind of sends a shock wave of stretchiness and awesomey cracky goodness through my muscles and my wrist.

Sorry, not sure if I read this part right. Cracking your spine has caused bad posture? or, just the rigidity… I'm kinda loopy so I may just have read that all wrong (promise I'm not trying to be a j**k).

Yoga is a really good idea though, I've tried it once and I'm sure I could benefit from it but I was in sooo much pain the next day, it would take a lot for me to commit to it... someday, I'm working on it

Interesting fact/question/clarification -- do you see a much faster improvement rate yoga or would you say it is about the same as cracking? Also, do you find it to be much more enjoyable?

It is psychological – the point of CBT is to change abnormal thoughts and coping mechanisms. Explain to your therapist how you don't see much change, especially if your half way through your limit. You should have some treatment goals and methods to reach those goals, if this sounds unfamiliar to you, bring it up to your therapist or find a new one.

As tragic as your incident was, at some point, you have to forgive and move on. It may seem difficult with a constant neck clicking but, you have to find some way around it. Seeing as though I am only a therapist in training, I cannot necessarily give you appropriate advice -- talk to your therapist.

I think what you may be experiencing is something entirely different. The cracking we are speaking of is mostly for relief, at least in my case it is. I actually experience some adverse effects if I don't crack my back/neck. As far as my other joints go, the stiffness just becomes unbearable sometimes and I'm just a creature of habit