I Don't Need a Chiropractor.
When I'm at a party and people find out what I do for a living, I usually hear, "I can crack my own neck/back. I don't need a chiropractor." Sigh.
The reality is that the desire to pop your neck or back is caused by tension from a misaligned or fixated vertebra. The clicking sound you hear when you crack yourself is caused by the joint above or below moving too much and popping. Unfortunately, even though you feel relief, what you're 'cracking' isn't actually the area that needs it.
A chiropractor will find the area of your spine that should be adjusted resulting in the rest of the spinal column being more balanced and less moveable and noisy. By addressing the problem properly, over time, your spine will have less tension and it won't feel like it needs to be cracked anymore.
An important thing to keep in mind is that your vertebrae are very close to your spinal cord and nerves. You can do some real damage by incorrectly cracking the wrong parts of your spine. Chiropractors go through extensive training over a number of years to learn how to safely and effectively adjust your spine.
I'm always tempted to ask, "You don't do your own dental work too, do you?"