What Are the Negative Health Effects of Me Regularly Cracking My Back?

Question by Yankees: What are the negative health effects of me regularly cracking my back?
What are pros, if any, and cons to reguraly and purposely cracking my back

I do it constantly throughout the day and it’s almost an addiction that I can’t stop! It also cracks sometimes when I breath, specifically when I’m laying on bed.

I am 16 and sorta have bad posture (head leaning forward), could this be a cause of it? Are there any pros? Cons?

Best answer:

Answer by pelican
Joint “cracking” or popping can result from a negative pressure pulling nitrogen gas temporarily into the joint, such as when knuckles are “cracked.” This is not harmful. “Cracking” sounds can also be heard if tendons snap over tissues because of minor adjustments in their gliding paths. This can occur with aging as muscle mass and action change.

If cracking is accompanied by pain, there could be underlying abnormalities of the structures of the joint, such as loose cartilage or injured ligaments. Some patients with arthritis (inflammation of joints, usually painful), bursitis, or tendinitis notice “cracking” sounds, or crepitus, with joint movements, due to the snapping of irregular, swollen tissues.

http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/joint-cracking-osteoarthritis

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