INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Other back cracking methods can be very dangerous and are not professionally recommended. Stick to the gentle massage method used by chiropractors to reduce the risk of complications. Aggressive methods, like the bear hug or methods that involve lifting, have been linked to medical trauma. The method outlined here is based on chiropractor guidance and is safer to perform. However, it's always best to see a professional. The person should lie on their stomach on a flat surface. Something like a bed, table, or even the floor would work well. Back cracking, when done safely, is really more of a gentle massage than an attempt to push someone's back too harshly. Start by using one hand to gently press down on the person's buttocks and the other hand to press down on the person's upper back. Make a series of gentle pressing motions for a few seconds to start. Place one hand on the person's lower back, just above their buttocks. Tuck your other hand just under the pelvis. Gently press down on the lower back while lifting upwards slightly on the pelvis. After working the pelvic bones, the person should lift their legs while remaining on their stomach. This works best if you have an actual chiropractor table and can lift the bottom half of the table up and down lightly. However, as you likely don't have such a table, you can try having the person lift both legs up and down slightly at the same time. This should be a gentle, rocking motion, as it will help with the back cracking process. Press on the part of the back just above the buttocks on the bottom of the spinal cord. Keep pressing until the person feels relief. Keep in mind, you may not always hear the traditional popping or cracking sound. Nevertheless, the person may feel relief from the rocking/pressing on its own. While you're helping to crack someone's back, keep a dialogue going to make sure the person is comfortable. Ask if they feel okay throughout the procedure and instruct them to tell you to stop if they feel pain. If you keep trying to crack someone's back after they've expressed pain, this can cause injury.

SUMMARY: Stick to gentle methods used by chiropractors. Have the person lie on a flat surface. Push on the person's back and buttocks. Pull the pelvic bones while pushing the back. Press on the back while raising and lowering the person's legs. Press on the lower back. Talk to the person throughout the procedure.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are a couple of options for where to measure a dog's blood pressure. No location is necessarily better than any other; it's largely a matter of what the dog will allow and what is easiest for you to stabilize.  The cuff of an automatic device is usually administered around one of the dog's limbs or around the base of the tail. If using a limb, it's best to measure on the dog's right side at either the forearm (antebrachium ) of the front limb or the outside of the hind leg. Before you perform the test, you'll need to make sure the blood pressure cuff fits your dog correctly. A cuff that is too large often produces falsely low blood pressure readings, while a cuff that's too small will yield a falsely high reading.  The ideal size for a blood pressure cuff is approximately 40 percent of the dog's appendage circumference. When you lay the cuff flat against the leg or tail, the edges should be between 25% and 50% of the appendage's circumference. Once you've determined that the cuff is the correct size for your dog, you can attach the cuff and proceed in taking a measurement. The cuff should be snug and secure without being too tight. It should be just snug enough that you cannot insert a finger between the cuff and the dog's appendage. Once the cuff is in place, the rest of the test is very similar to that of a human blood pressure measurement. You'll simply activate the automatic device, allow the cuff to inflate, then take the reading that the device gives you. The cuff presses against the dog's artery while inflated, and the pressure inside the cuff gets above the dog's systolic pressure. As the cuff deflates, the machine measures both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.  Hold the cuff (attached to the dog's appendage) at chest level on the dog, which should be approximately the height of the dog's heart.  The normal systolic blood pressure range is between 110 and 160 mm of mercury (Hg). Normal diastolic blood pressure lies between 60 and 90 mm Hg.  A dog has high blood pressure if its systolic blood pressure is consistently above 180 mm Hg.

SUMMARY:
Choose a measurement location. Check the size of the cuff. Attach the cuff. Inflate the cuff, then take a reading.