Chiropractors and Osteopaths receive 5 years training in not only how to adjust and in what precise direction but equally importantly when not to adjust.

 

Manipulation is a highly specific, very short travel force delivered in a precise direction to a specific malfunctioning joint by highly qualified practitioners.

 

Therefore it is impossible to adjust yourself. It is possible to stretch and twist in certain ways to achieve a “cracking” sound but this type of movement is not directed at the particular malfunctioning joint nor is it adjusting in a corrective direction.

 

This type of “cracking” often targets the unstable joints alongside the major and totally jammed joint gradually making the adjacent area more lax and unstable and ultimately causing increased inflammation and pain.