Lie down on your back on a bed, with everything above your shoulder blades extended over the edge. Relax your back and let your head and arms slowly extend towards the floor, breathing out entirely as you do it. After each downward extending motion, hold for about 5 seconds and then do a full sit-up to get back to the original position and take a full breath in. Repeat as necessary. This movement carries a little greater risk of injuring your spine, so maybe ask a companion to be a spotter to make sure you can do it safely.
Cross your arms across the front of your body and allow a stronger, taller person to hug you from behind and grab your elbows for support. After fully exhaling, give a signal and allow the person to lift you off the ground while simultaneously squeezing you and extending your mid back. This maneuver is a little risky for both participants because of the greater forces on the spines and shoulder joints.
Stand face-to-face with a person of equal or greater size. Allow the person to hug you and have them clasp their hands near the area that you want to crack while you relax your arms at your sides. After breathing fully in and out, give a signal for the person to squeeze harder with their hands in a quick thrusting manner (this takes some practice and coordination), which will extend the spine somewhat and likely release a few joints. For women with large or sensitive breasts, this maneuver might not be appropriate.
While standing with your feet shoulder-width apart (for stability and balance), place your arms in front of you, bent at the elbows. In a controlled fashion, rotate your upper body as far as you can in one direction, then switch and do the other way a few seconds later. You can use some momentum by swinging your arms, but be careful not to go too far and risk pulling a muscle. Repeat as many times as necessary, but once you crack your back, it won’t crack again at the same spinal segment for between 20–30 minutes or so. It takes that long for the joint to reset again.
Sit on the floor with one leg bent at the knee and the other leg extended — it does not matter which side you start with because you’ll switch and do both sides a few times. With the foot of the bent leg on the ground, push with it and rotate your torso in the opposite direction, using your hands to stabilize you and induce more rotation. Try to look back over your shoulder on the same side as your bent knee. Wear runners so your feet get more grip to push with.
Sit facing forward on a stable chair. While trying to keep your buttocks and legs in the same position, rotate as far as you can in one direction (holding for a few seconds), then go in the other direction. Breathe normally while doing this. Grab on to the sides or the top of the chair to gain more leverage — a wooden chair works well in this regard. In this position, your lower lumbar spine is the most likely to crack or release.
Lie flat on your back on a cushioned floor, raise a leg to your chest while bending it at the knee. Then pull on the outside of your knee towards the floor with your opposite hand, which will create rotation in your lower back and hips. Your may feel the low back and/or hip joints release and crack with this move. This is a similar position that a chiropractor or osteopath will put you in for adjusting your low back and hips (sacroiliac joints).
Kneel on a padded surface with your buttocks resting on the soles of your feet. Then bend forward at the waist, walking your fingers forward as far as you can go while trying to touch your nose to the floor. Hold this stretch for about 30 seconds while continuing to breathe. Depending on the amount of tension in your back, try this stretch three to five times daily. You may not be very flexible, or your belly may get in the way, but try to extend your arms as far forward as you can until you can feel your back muscles and spine stretch at least a little bit.
Place both hands behind your head and slowly push your head backwards while arching or extending your spine so that your stomach sticks out. Hold the position for 10–20 seconds and consider doing it three to five times daily depending on the amount of tension in your back. The area of your back most likely to crack with this position is the thoracic region, which is the part of your spine between your shoulder blades. Make sure your feet are firmly planted and shoulder width apart so that you maintain balance and reduce the risk of falling over. Keep your eyes looking forward to prevent overextending your neck and head backwards.
