You adjust, mobilize or manipulate your spine when you “crack” your back. In general, you can do this to your back on your own.
Those telltale cracking and popping sounds aren’t necessary for these adjustments to work, but we know they offer temporary relief. However, never force these adjustments.
A video demonstrating some of those moves in more detail is provided below, as well as 10 moves and stretches to help crack your back.
As well as adjusting your back, gentle stretches and movements can also warm up your body and muscles, releasing tight areas.
Let’s start with two ways you can use a chair to support your back.
Follow These 7 Easy Steps:
Back-of-chair stretching:
- Sit in a chair that has a solid back that allows your shoulder blades to fit over it.
- As an alternative, you can interlace your fingers behind your head or extend your arms over your head.
- Sit back and relax.
- Hold your back against the chair’s top edge until you crack.
By moving your body slightly up and down, you can experiment with different heights.
Your upper and middle back will feel this stretch.
Twisting a chair:
- Sit in a chair and reach across your body to hold the left side of the chair with your right arm. Put your right hand on the seat of the chair or on the outside of your left leg.
- By lifting your left arm behind you, you can hook it over the chair’s back.
- Keeping your hips, legs, and feet facing forward, turn your upper body as far left as you can.
- Then do the opposite on the opposite side.
Twist your spine starting at the base. Your lower and middle back will be stretched.
Extensions at the back:
- Take the opposite hand and wrap it around your fist at the base of your spine.
- Press your hands upward at a slight angle.
- Lean back and crack your back with your hands.
- Move your hands up your spine and extend at different levels.
As you apply pressure to your spine, you will feel this stretch.
You can try this stretch in a different way with the next exercise.
The standing lumbar extension:
- While standing, place your palms along your back or at the top of your butt, with your fingers pointing down and your pinkies on either side of your spine.
- Then, raise and extend your spine upwards and arch backwards, applying gentle pressure to your back for 10 to 20 seconds, and always remember to breathe.
- The stretch can be done at different levels if you are flexible enough.
It is possible that you will also feel the stretch in your upper back or between your shoulder blades.
Stretching upward:
- Stand with your fingers interlaced behind your head.
- Lie on your back and arch your spine upward, pressing your head into your hands.
- This will create resistance.
- Continue this posture for ten to twenty seconds. Take a deep breath.
Stand with your spine rotated:
- Extend your arms out in front of you while standing.
- Keep your hips and feet facing forward as you slowly turn your upper body to the right.
- Turn to the left after returning to the center.
- Perform this movement a few times or until your back feels looser or you hear your back crack.
You can use your arms’ momentum to help guide the movement.
This stretch will feel in your lower spine.
Twisting of the seat:
- Lay on the floor with your left leg extended in front of you and your right leg bent so that your knee is up.
- Plant your right foot outside your left knee while crossing your right leg over the left.
- Maintain a long and straight spine.
- You should place your left elbow outside your right knee and your right hand behind your hips, looking over your right shoulder.
- Using your right hand and left knee, press into each other.
You should begin twisting at your lower back. The stretch will be felt all along your spine.
