Why Does Cracking Your Back Feel So Good? 

The first thing most people do early in the morning, or after a long hectic day, is bend their spine or neck until they feel those natural, relieving shots running down their spine.

The small pops feel so satisfying either they accidentally crackle or snap while standing up or you perform your best moves to produce them. You have been cracking your joints for years with no knowledge as to what, exactly, is happening inside your body when you perform it.

If you need to crack your back, the reason may be that your joints are misaligned, and it’s affecting the souring areas. When there is a restriction in the movement of the joint, it means that muscles of that area are tight, which usually increases the stiffness.

Why Does It Feel So Good When You Crack Your Back?

Doctors are not exactly sure why joints are able to be cracked or popped in the first place, and research about why it feels so satisfying is pretty limited. However, one reason might be that this movement helps in reducing pain and inflammation.

According to a theory known as the Gate Control Theory, “any non-painful input (such as cracking your joint) shuts down that “gates” for painful input and prevents the pain signals from traveling through the CNS. Some scientists have argued that simply changing the posture of your back, that’s causing pain could be sufficient to prevent pain signals from reaching the CNS; providing temporary relief.

Here is another reason why cracking your back feels so good. The muscles surrounding the spine may build-up tightness and stress, usually when you have been performing any difficult task like sitting on a chair in front of a computer for a long period. Thus, cracking habit releases stress in the muscles. Even when you perform different exercises to set your back and posture, it still feels so good to stretch your muscles, such as cracking your back. According to doctors, “some people get satisfied with a simple stretch, but others become habitual of feeling the crack that comes with the end of their range of motion.

Is Cracking Your Back Safe?

Many studies have revealed that up to 40% of people crack one of their joints daily.

But the one who has cracked his back, toes, ankles, knuckles, etc. for a long time has usually heard the rumor that this habit can do something terrible to your joints and may lead to arthritis.

But, are those rumors true?

The good news about cracking your back is that it is usually quite harmless. “Usually, it does not matter why it happens until it is harmless,”.

Some of this might evolve and change as you get older. For example, when you get older, the cartilage (that helps in gliding of your joints) smoothly wears out, thus cracking your back may hurt. That’s a reason you should try to change the habit before it becomes dangerous.

If there is a pain in your neck or back and it’s becoming worse (or not getting better), that means you should stop cracking your back and consult a doctor.