Can too many adjustments damage my spine?

Your joints are held in place by discs, tendons, ligaments and muscles as well as the shape of the bones involved.  If a joint is taken to the end of it's range of motion too frequently there is potential you can overstretch these supporting ligaments and tendons making a joint loose.  This can happen in situations where a person is stretching their neck or back as far as it will go so it will crack.  

A gonstead chiropractor takes careful note of how far a joint is moving prior to adjusting it.  One of the important factors we check for is that a joint has restricted motion before we will adjust it.  We consider joints that are already moving too much to be compensating for other issues.  Gonstead adjustments also aim to avoid taking a joint to the end of it's range of motion therefore limiting the stress it places on the supporting ligaments and tissues.  

If you are being checked and adjusted by a gonstead chiropractor, you do not have to worry about damaging your spine from being adjusted too often - that is why we always check thoroughly before we adjust you.  If however, you are manipulating your own spine, there is potential for you to overstretch the ligaments and tendons making them loose and unstable over time.  Moral of the story - leave it to the professionals ;-)