Popping your back gives off a truly satisfying sensation that makes you want to pop your back repeatedly, especially for pregnant women who experience a lot of tension in the body as their pregnancy progresses.
The cause for concern for most people whenever they feel the urge to crack their back is because it involves several vital body parts such as the spine, joints, and nerves. If popping the back is done incorrectly, it may cause damage to the body.
While pregnant women may have this fear in mind, cracking the back while pregnant can be a relaxing and safe experience as long as it is done with caution and by a chiropractic expert in prenatal care.
It is generally safe for you to crack your back most of the time. Whenever you hear your back crack, it gives you the feeling that you have gotten rid of tension in the body.
Aside from feeling some of your body tensions relieved, cracking your back also helps your body become more flexible and increase your range of motion.
Things to remember about cracking your back during pregnancy
To give you a more specific idea about cracking your back during your pregnancy, here are some key things to remember and avoid to keep on enjoying the relaxing sensation of popping your back while you are pregnant.
1. Cracking your back can become more challenging as your pregnancy progresses
Most of the tension and pain you feel in your back is due to the increasing weight and changing position of the baby from time to time. With that said, cracking your back can become more delicate as you go further into your pregnancy.
As your pregnancy progresses, you will experience more frequent pain and discomfort in the middle and lower areas of the back. Because of this, you may want to twist your back to relieve some back pain.
Twisting your body so you can crack your back during pregnancy is generally safe as long as you do it with utmost precaution.
2. Have your back cracked by a professional
The safest and sure way to crack your back without harming yourself or your unborn child is to seek the aid of a professional who has ample knowledge in prenatal care.
It is best to hire the services of a chiropractor, preferably someone who also knows a great deal about prenatal care. But before you decide to do this, consult your obstetrician first to give you the green light to undergo this procedure.
3. Cracking your back too much may cause joint and nerve injuries
If done more often than necessary, cracking your back can hurt yourself by damaging some joints and nerves. Doing this too often creates a tear in your joints, which leads to strain, swelling, and breakdown.
Refrain from cracking your back too much or too often. While doing so can relieve you of some tension and paint felt in your back, doing it a lot can cause more harm than relief.
4. Cracking your back too much may cause ligament laxity
Also known as hypermobility, ligament laxity happens when a joint is moved beyond its typical range of motion and results in the surrounding ligaments to be stretched, which eventually leads to elongation or sprain.
If this happens, it may affect your body functions as the damaged ligaments become unable to support or hold the joint in its place.
5. Your back popping on its own may be due to underlying complications
If you feel your back cracking or grinding on its own whenever you move, it may probably be due to underlying complications.
Ligament or cartilage damage may cause your back to crack voluntarily. The cartilage is the flexible connective tissue that helps reduce the friction between joints. It also keeps bones together and provides weight support.
Your cartilage may be damaged due to a sudden injury or through gradual wear and tear like osteoarthritis. Typically, minor cartilage injuries heal on their own. However, if the person suffers from osteoarthritis, it is best to consult a professional to provide the necessary treatment.
Another underlying complication that causes your back to crack on its own is the deterioration of a synovial capsule. A synovial capsule, the most common type of join found in the body, is a fully closed cavity containing the synovial fluid.
This fluid allows two bones to glide and not grind each other. A synovial capsule formed by the smooth cartilages that surround the articular surfaces of the bones and joints.
The deterioration of a synovial capsule due to an injury or a torn ligament may cause damage to the joints that often comes with pain and discomfort.
Can you crack your back every day?
Because of your back pain, you may feel the urge to crack your back too often to relieve your body. But as mentioned earlier, it is not safe to frequently pop your back.
Cracking your back involves the spine, some joints, and nerves. For this reason alone, you must not risk injuring yourself by popping your back every day. Doing it once or twice per day may not do you good in the long run.
Whenever you crack your back, you also manipulate your spine, and doing it every day may leave you in continuous pain and discomfort.
Can you relieve back pain without cracking your back?
Cracking your back is just one of two common ways to relieve back pain. It does not have to be your go-to choice since it is not healthy to do it frequently.
Instead of cracking your back, you can opt to do stretches and exercises which can help relieve your back pain. Gentle stretches increase your mobility and flexibility, and they can also help relax your muscles.
Gentle stretches are a more favorable option if you want a more effective method of back relief that you can do in the long term. Gentle body stretches are not as risky as cracking your back, and it can also help you maintain a good body posture.
When do you need to crack your back?
Because cracking your back shouldn’t be an option unless necessary, you have to determine when it is required to do so.
It is only typical for pregnant women to experience back pain occasionally, but gentle stretches and exercises should do just fine.
It can be necessary to crack your back if you feel discomfort and pain in your back, which may be a case of your spine being out of place, and the safest option is to get proper consultation and treatment.
Takeaway
Cracking your back is generally safe for most people, especially pregnant women, as long as done with the utmost caution, and for just one or two snaps, the body is relieved of any back pain.
However, remember that cracking your back has possible risks and side effects, and it typically depends on how frequently you do it and how safe the procedure is.
A general rule of thumb to remember is that you must not crack your back every day as it can probably lead more to damage than relief because it includes several parts of the body that helps mobility.
Because of this, cracking your back must be done only when truly necessary. The safest way to ensure that you will not end up with a fractured back after this procedure is by having your back cracked by chiropractors.
Pregnant women, in particular, must seek a chiropractor with ample knowledge in prenatal care to relieve back pain. Doing so, you enjoy back relief while also keeping your unborn child safe from any harm.
Make sure you consult your obtretician first on the ways to relieve your back pain as they know what is best for you and your baby.
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