Do you ever feel like you just need to crack your neck? You feel a build up of pressure, finally crack your neck, and that ache in your neck is all gone. For some people, “self-adjusting” becomes a regular habit whenever they feel discomfort in their neck. However, this “self-adjusting” of your neck is not harmless. A common misconception that people have when going to their chiropractor is that the popping or cracking noise is what causes them to feel relief. You might hear a friend say, “I can crack my own neck and feel better, why see a chiropractor?” Well, what actually happens when you crack your neck?
Joint Cavitation
Your joints are lubricated by a fluid called synovial fluid, a liquid with dissolved gases that include oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. When the pressure within a joint decreases, this will lead to the formation of gas bubbles, which can sometimes result in an audible sound of cracking or popping. This is called a joint cavitation. When you crack your neck, it is the release of pressure that feels good. However, when you forcibly crack your neck, you are taking the joints into a sudden range of motion.
Is Cracking a Habit?
If you crack your neck regularly, it can result in spinal imbalance and hypermobility of your joints, perpetuating a cycle of continually needing to “self-adjust”. Cervical and spinal supporting ligaments become stretched, making it difficult for the ligaments to support your joints. The more unstable a joint becomes, the stiffer and sorer you feel as your muscles begin overworking to support it. Repetitive neck cracking can result in:
- muscle spasms
- pinched nerves
- stiff neck
- constant grinding sounds when you move your head and neck
You need a sustainable and long term solution to your neck pain.
Relief Without Cracking
NUCCA chiropractors aim to bring the spine to a balanced position, removing stress on the joints and allowing for proper range of motion. We use postural measurements and x-rays to calculate a unique adjusting angle for every individual. The NUCCA adjustment is extremely gentle and underwhelming, with no cracking or popping during the correction. As our patients go through care, they notice that they no longer hear the grinding or clicking that they used to hear when they move their head. We advise patients to avoid self cracking of the neck, and as the condition improves, most patients no longer feel the need to forcibly pop their own necks.
If you are constantly cracking your own neck to help with neck pain and stiffness, it could indicate something is wrong. Get assessed by a NUCCA chiropractor to better understand your condition, we can help.
References:
1. Kawchuk, G. N., Fryer, J., Jaremko, J. L., Zeng, H., Rowe, L., & Thompson, R. (2015). Real-time visualization of joint cavitation. PloS one, 10(4), e0119470
2. Steilen, D., Hauser, R., Woldin, B., & Sawyer, S. (2014). Chronic neck pain: making the connection between capsular ligament laxity and cervical instability. The open orthopaedics journal, 8, 326.
3. Swartz, Erik E et al. “Cervical spine functional anatomy and the biomechanics of injury due to compressive loading.” Journal of athletic training vol. 40,3 (2005): 155-61.
