Do you crack your own neck

Does your back or neck ever start to feel tight and sore? Do you sometimes just give it a bit of an extra tweak to get that cracking sound? Have you found yourself doing this more and more often? If you think this sounds like you, you aren’t the only one! Many people find relief from self-manipulation, but is it safe or healthy to perform this action on your own body?
 
The first thing to note is that the cracking sound that comes from moving a joint has nothing to do with your neck or back being ‘out’ and is actually just caused by a rapid exchange of gas within the joint. The noise itself in a controlled environment is harmless and is usually just a by-product of that joint moving – almost every joint in your body can make this sound if moved in the right way!
 
As chiropractors, we often see patients who present with issues such as poor posture, trouble sleeping from pain, as well as general tension and discomfort, who say that cracking their own neck and back provides some relief.  The movements required to crack your own neck and back are generating that sound that you enjoy, but also providing a stretch to the surrounding structures (muscles and ligaments). Oftentimes, people associate this noise with relief – either from tension or pain, however, you may notice that this relief is fairly short-lived (which is why you may find yourself doing it multiple times a day).
 
Is it dangerous?
 
If you happen to be gently stretching your back or neck and it emits a popping sound, don’t stress. The potential issues arise if you start to intentionally twist your neck and back, using harsh rapid movements (or even using your hands) to force your body to make that cracking sound. By using excessive force in this way, you are pushing the joints in your neck and back to move beyond their normal range of motion which may result in stretched ligaments and can lead to joint instability in the long term. This instability can lead to further issues such as nerve root irritation (pinched nerves) and muscle strain.
 
We strongly recommend not attempting to crack your own neck and back, and to leave the spinal joint adjustments to the professionals. At Sprouting Health we understand that this can be a hard habit to break, but we can help you to develop a care plan to improve your mobility and decrease your tension and discomfort so that the urge to ‘crack’ lessens.
 
 

1. Kawchuk GN, Fryer J, Jaremko JL, Zeng H, Rowe L, Thompson R (2015) Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0119470. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0119470

 

1. Bakker M, Miller J. Does an audible release improve the outcome of a chiropractic adjustment? The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. 2004;48(3):237.

 

1. Patel, E. A., & Perloff, M. D. (2018). Radicular Pain Syndromes: Cervical, Lumbar, and Spinal Stenosis. Seminars in neurology, 38(6), 634–639. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1673680