Chiropractic

What happens

Spinal manipulation

Spinal manipulation normally doesn't hurt. If you're already in pain because of your back, it may hurt to move. But manipulation is aimed at making you feel better.

The most familiar type of spinal manipulation is the hands-on approach: You lie on a table while the health professional uses their hands or a device to apply pressure to an area of your spine. Some people call this "cracking" your back because of the popping sound that is sometimes made. But nothing is actually "cracking." The sound happens when the tissues of the spinal joint are stretched.

Some health professionals use a drop table for manipulations. Parts of the table drop slightly when the health professional presses down on your back. The table is noisy, but this method is actually very gentle.

Some health professionals use a handheld device called an activator to do spinal manipulations. This is also very gentle.