Unique Method for Popping Your Back
75Really Bad Pictures of Me Popping My Back
Santa Needs to Bring Me These
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How To Pop Your Own Back
Sometimes it feels good to crack your middle and upper back bones, even if the relief is only temporary. Growing up I popped just about every bone in my body -even my upper rib cage (thoracic bone, if there is such a thing?) would give forth a loud crack at times. I remember my parents admonishing me constantly. When seeing me crack my knuckles they were always quick to say, "If you don't stop, your knuckles will grow big and ugly." Untrue. This is just a myth.
I simply loved popping my joints. I can remember popping other people's fingers and making joints move painlessly that they never knew could pop (i.e. the lower thumb joint). Ironically, I grew up to be an instructional designer, while my brother who rarely popped his own joints became a chiropractor. Of course, I usually ask for a free adjustment when I see him!
My brother was surprised one day several years ago to see the method I used for popping my back. We were both home visiting our mother at the time. I showed him how I could "adjust" my own back using the bathtub. After many years of popping my own back in all sorts of ways, I've become hyperflexible and it's difficult to crack my back via the usual methods. Following is how I take care of it myself:
- Wait until mid-day or later so that your joints are relatively loose. For some reason this trick doesn't work for me early in the morning. This is very important!
- Ensure your bathtub is dry if you are entering fully clothed.
- Enter your tub and sit down on your rear with your knees bent in front of you. You should be facing the wall. Your knees should be up and your shins crossed over one another or both facing the wall (whatever is most comfortable). Your back should be against the side of the tub that is opposite from the wall.
- Now, sit up straight and position yourself so that you feel the edge of the tub is between a vertebrae in your middle back. Place your hands on the wall or opposite side of the tub (depending on your height) and press against the wall slowly and firmly, thus producing pressure on your back. Your back may pop the first time you press against the wall. If it doesn't, don't give up. Keep sliding lower and lower in the tub and pressing the wall to try and pop each vertebrae. It's important to start in the middle of your back and slide downward working toward the upper portion of your back.
- Continue sliding lower and lower in the tub popping your back from middle to upper. When you have worked your way to the uppermost vertebrae under your neck, you should be rewarded with a nice loud crack. It's great. Sometimes, I can even use my hands to press on my chin while the back of my head is laying on the side of the tub. If it get it just right a really high up bone at the very top of my spine pops. Aghhhh!
The reason I thought to try this method, was because in school and in college I used to do bascially the same thing while sitting in a desk. Once I graduated, there were no more desks around to use for this purpose. To the right are some really horrible pictures of myself illustrating this method. I really need to scrub my tub!
If this method did NOT work for you, dont' give up. Just try it later in the day or on a different day.I've done it for years. Every now and then it doesn't work if I'm wound up way too tight.
Update: I recently suffered from compressed spine and needed a new way to help get relief so I found it today. Yay! You can see it in my other HUB. It shows how I decompressed my own cervical spine area.
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i sort of do the same thing.
i sit on the floor outside of the tub and lean back over the edge of the tub and support my head as if i am going to sit up into an abdominal crunch- doing so puts pressure between the vertebrae and makes the pop occur.i am going to try your other suggestion- i have the worst upper back/shoulder pain right now. any motion where i lift my head to look up sends sharp pain all through my neck and down my spine.
Arghhhhhhhhhh now I have a burning itch to crack my back but I was too tall to do it in the bathtub. :( Thanks for sharing though.
I have been able to pop my neck and relieve my neck pain by laying on my back on the back seat of my 4-door mid-size car. I leave the car door open. Very slowly I inch my way toward the open door, gently laying my neck back over the edge of the seat. I have actually felt the vertebrae going back into place using this method. For the thoracic spine (between the shoulders) I have been able to relieve muscle spasms and pop this area of my back by laying backwards on a child's bouncing ball. I locate the ball at the lower end of my ribs and gradually roll the ball up to my neck as I am draped over the ball. This has been very effective for me as well.
You can also do something like this on an upper bunk or from under a table. I am going to try the tub, though! I have arthritis everywhere but my neck and fingers and toes. Yes, the places I regularly pop. I'd love to learn how to pop my knees, elbows, and shoulders where I have so much trouble!
Just as the author of this article has, I have popped my joints since the age of 5 from neck to toes including fingers, wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders, back, hip joints, knees, ankles, and toes. A chiropractor friend says this is merely moving the fluid from one side of the joint to the other. He says if everyone did as I do, it would put chiropractors out of business. Now at 67 I have inherited extreme arthritis from my grandfather, but because of keeping my joints limber by popping, there is only some pain in my lower back, and I am extremely agile. And, it's never to late to start relieving your own pain and becoming more limber! I'm living proof popping joints works. It feels like I'm a walking miracle. ~ Janice
I'm 17, currently in high school, however I am on spring break! No desks! But getting up at 3 am to sit in the tub just made me be able to relax! Thank you!!!
Great Hub! I honestly was looking at a school dest at a garage sale last year, lol I sat right down and cracked my back. As we pulled away I saw girl sit down and do the same thing. This really does work, I almost bought that chair just for that reason. Now I can just jump in the tub whenever I need my middle and upper back cracked.
I suffered with lower back pain for years. 10+ years to be more specific, you can check out my story at WWW.PopYourBack.com. It is more for lower back pain and includes how I pop my lower back.
I thought you and your readers might be interested.
Great Hub and Again Thank You !
Ron
Before you scrub that tub you need to go make me a sandwich...
I thought this was nonsense but as a lifelong cracker I needed to crack my back without the twist lying down. Since I'm on the short side I fit pretty good in the tub. I got two in the mid back and two between the shoulder blades. Thank you so much for sharing, the relief is wonderful.
wow ive never had this much relief thank u so much!!
For all those that can't manage to get the upper or lower back, try leaning back on the tub (like floating on your back, except the side of the tub supports you). Slide a little to get the sweet spots. It is better if you can press on something though. Those desks were great; I remember breaking a few of them. Another great trick is the top row of the bleachers at the local racetrack: I lay back on the metal bar, then "bench-press" the bar above me to force the crack. Works like a charm... and keeps me going to the races. A note of caution: avoid twisting while popping.
I seriously thought I was the only one who did this with my desks in high school! I've missed them so much. In college, the desk seats are all made so the backs aren't firm, but flexible - so it's impossible to pop my back in them. I have a claw foot tub tho, so I bet this will work great, since these bathtubs are so large!
Thanks for wasting my time. Seriously.
I wish it worked for me but my bones are sensitive? My lower back hurt in the tub and my arms couldn't reach the wall..but thankyou for the tip, maybe ill use my yoga mat to line the tub and shall see if it works..great idea though
its my husbands back I have tried all there is to try, He just looks at me and says ok it did not work. He is a heavy set man I am always on his back with many lotions then he looks up and says just get off not working, Where can I make it work, I only weigh 112. He hurts all the time, Help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stunning Grandeur! This may be the greatest discovery since evolution!
OMG I love you. I feel like I should pay you. I have been looking high and low for the perfect place to accomplish this myself because I haven't been able to find someone with enough leverage to do it. Only problem now...I need a deeper tub or shorter legs. Thank you so much.
I tried this tonight & it adjusted my mid back. I wasn't able to get movement in upper back. Not sure if that is because I'm 5'2" or if there's too much muscle tension. Thanks for the tip!
OMG! Thank you so much! Just like you, I used my desks at school/college to pop my back, and since then, I haven't found a method to successfully release the tension in my upper back! I can't wait to go home and try this!
I thought I was the only one who thought of this. But yes this method is amazing.
Tension and stress had me kinked up for weeks.
This totally worked for me.
My back feels great today Thank you!
Wow. It does help alot. Genious idea. Thank you soooo much.
I never comment on pages like this, but i just wanted you to know that this helped me SO much. my back has been bothering me a lot lately and i've been trying to figure out how to crack my upper back and this worked perfectly! thank you so much!
I didn't believe it would work. I tried it and it felt SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD!!!! This sh** works!!!!!
Hey. I gave it a go and I can see how the curvature of the tub is just right and how handy it is to be able to push against the wall but unfortunately I can't cross my legs high enough to reach the part of my shoulder that i need to crack. I'm 6'3 and it's a spot about halfway up my shoulder blades that i need to crack. So frustrating! Thanks for the tip though :) I'll have to get a bigger tub.
I've been looking EVERYWHERE for techniques that worked, and your site came up. My back has NEVER felt this good. Thank you so much!!
I just typed in how to adjust your own midback and this site turned up. I tried it first time 10.30 P.M. and I cracked two main mid back that when out is so bad, it often interrupts my breathing (vertebrae often pinch nerves) From falls and car accidents, I've had to suffer when I can't afford constant chiropractors and my son isnt here to step on my mid back. WOW! God Bless you, for the relief you've given that will help soooo much
i had my doubts cause i tought it was foolish, but you are a superhero. ty very much
It worked!
This is the ONLY technique I've tried that has even somewhat worked. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh My Gosh! That actually worked! I've had a pain my upper back & right shoulder for weeks. I'm a big guy 6ft/220 - and, I have a smaller tub - so it was probably comical to see. But, it totally worked!!!!! Thank you!
Hi Everyone. Thanks for leaving comments. It's so neat to know this little trick I shared has brought you guys some relief.
I just figured out a new method for tractioning out my own upper neck and I included the link in the hub above at the bottom in an update.
Thank you!!! This is amazing. Those stiff backed school chairs do the trick when I'm there, but not at home where I don't have access to them. I just hope in the tub once a day push on myself for 2 minutes and I'm golden! Thanks!
Man, i uses to do that to. i graduated high school ten years ago and i have been missing those desks ever since. Why didnt i think of using the bath tub... thanks for the idea.
Boy I have crippling MS and fall once in a while and fell a couple weeks ago and couldn't turn my neck for jack, been looking online, can't stand spending money at Dr's as I've found all MS treatments to be expensive and frankly a scam..
This worked like a charm although I almost thought I'd break my neck as it was about 3/4 the way up and it hurt just to touch the back of my office chair.
thank you. Excellent advice.
Awesome. I am a 185 pound guy with a back that is hard to crack and my petite wife doesn't have the weight to do crack my back for me. This worked like a charm. I couldn't quite get my upper back, but this definitely did the trick for my mid-back. Thanks for the tip.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank you!!! I've been suffering for 4 days and there is no telling how many times I passed my tub. Thanks
I've been on summer vacation, and really the only reason I miss school is because the desks are so useful for back relief. I tried this method and although it didn't work, I think it will be better tomorrow with a "fresh" set of vertebrae. Thank you, fellow joint-popper!
Thanks everyone for commenting! It makes me feel good to know I'm helping bring a few people relief out there. (Smile)
Tried it, didn't work. My method is to stand straight and then bend over, letting my arms/hands hang down brushing the floor. Then I bounce my upper body up and down towards the floor. Incredibly cracks!
This is great! I had the exact same problem of not knowing what to do about my tight upper back after I graduated college and didn't have those lovely desk/chair combos to play with! Sometimes I can find someone who can do the bear hug and lift method but most people can't do it right. This tub method works better than anything else I have tried.
I did this bathtub thing and it actually worked. Like she said not in the morning. In the early afternoon after doing chores in the morning. I couldn't get my legs like she did but I manage to get in there enough to have three good cracks and it was instant relief. I already do my lower back and neck, now the mid back. Yeha I a happy camper.
cheers
i don't have a bathtub :(
This worked very well for a jam up between my shoulders that I have had for 3 weeks! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tip, never would of thought of this myself. Went to two different chiropractors to try to get out kink in back to no avail, tried door jam, got it myself using this technique.
worked like a charm, thankyou. i needed this so bad!
Unfortunately my tub is too wide to do this properly. Those desks during high school were my saviors, and now every time I get a kink that won't go away in my back I have no way of getting it out, like right now. However, being able to simply lean back on the edge of the tub popped it in a few other places. Right now I've got a spot thats right between the vertebrae and right shoulder blade that hurts so bad but I know would be an easy fix if I just had someone to push on it :(
This is a nice tip though. Maybe I can find a friend with a smaller tub lol
Thank you so much for the effort you put in. Exactly what I was looking for! Pictures too. Thank you again.
Em and Erik, So glad it worked for you. I know what sweet relief it can sometimes bring to me.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my gods. Sweetheart, thank you a million billion jillion. I am nearly in tears of relief. You're magnificent.
Omg genius! I always used desks too and just didn't put it together to use a tub. Perfect! Thanks for the idea!
Fellow back cracker: Did it work? I hope so.
Funny because the whole time i was reading this article I was thinking how I use to do this in middle school with those one piece desks, now i can do it on certain objects like tables and chairs. I have never cracked it high up by the neck and heard a loud crack I'll go try it.
Thank you very much. My profile pic is from a photo I took of a tree in our backyard. My mother, who has dementia, created the face in her ceramics class. It's very special to me.
Great profile pic--love it!!! And very interesting hubs.
gympopper 2 days ago
I do this at the gym on the leg press machine. The weight on my legs in conjunction with pressing against the chair of the machine always cracks my back. I sometimes dream of going to the gym just for that! Perhaps I will finally get into tip top shape!