If you do not know the correct direction the bone needs to be moved back into place, you may be moving it out of place, not in place. Cracking or popping your neck gives relief for a while, but soon the urge to pop or crack reappears because the cause of the spinal tension hasn't been corrected. The bone needs to be moved back into the correct position before permanent release is given. A graduate chiropractic doctor take approximately 370 more class hours of study then does a graduate medical doctor. A subluxation or spinal nerve stress is like a dental cavity- you may have it for a long time before symptoms appear.
Symptoms are usually the last thing to come in the progression of a problem.
That's why periodic spinal check-ups are so important. Although it may be possible to know you have spinal nerve stress or subluxation, it is rarely possible to be sure you don't. An occasional spinal check-up is always a good idea. There are three basic causes of subluxations. Physical causes could include slips and falls, accidents, repetitive motions and improper lifting.