Sometimes it feels good to crack your middle and upper back bones, even if the relief is only temporary. Growing up I popped just about every bone in my body -even my upper rib cage (thoracic bone, if there is such a thing?) would give forth a loud crack at times. I remember my parents admonishing me constantly. When seeing my crack my knuckles they were always quick to say, "If you don't stop, your knuckles will grow big and ugly." Untrue. This is just a myth.

I simply loved popping bones. I can remember popping other people's fingers and making joints move painlessly that they never knew could pop (i.e. the lower thumb joint). Ironically, I grew up to be an instructional designer, while my brother who rarely popped his own joints became a chiropractor. Of course, I usually ask for a free adjustment when I see him!

My brother was surprised one day several years ago to see the method I used for popping my back. We were both home visiting our mother at the time. I showed him how I could "adjust" my own back using the bathtub. After many years of popping my own back in all sorts of ways, I've become hyperflexible and it's difficult to crack my back via the usual methods. Following is how I take care of it myself:

1. Wait until mid-day or later so that your joints are relatively loose. For some reason this trick doesn't work for me early in the morning. This is very important.
2. Ensure your bathtub is dry if you are entering fully clothed.
3. Enter your tub and sit down on your rear with your knees bent in front of you. Turn and face the wall. Your knees should be up and your shins facing the wall. Your back should be against the side of the tub that is opposite from the wall.
4. Now sit up straight and position yourself so that you feel the edge of the tub is between a vertebrae in your middle back. Place your hands on the wall or opposite side of the tub (depending on your heigth) and press firmly. Your back should pop. If it doesn't, don't give up. Keep sliding lower and lower in the tub and pressing the wall to try and pop each vertebrae.
5. Continue sliding lower and lower in the tub popping your back from middle to upper. When you have worked your way to the uppermost vertebrae under your neck, you should be rewarded with a nice loud crack. It's great.

The reason I thought to try this method, was because in school and in college I used to do bascially the same thing while sitting in a desk. Once I graduated, there were no more desks around to use for this purpose. Below is a really horrible picture of myself illustrating this method. I really need to scrub my tub!