“Is it a problem that my neck clicks?”

Here’s one we get asked allllll the time in clinic….

My first response is usually “is it painful when it clicks?” and “does it lock in one position when it clicks?”.

If the answer to these questions is no, which it is 99.9% of the time, then it is nothing to worry about.

We have a fluid compartment called a joint in between each of the bones of our neck and when taken to an end range of movement a bubble of gas can sometimes release from this fluid. This causes an audible release/crack, which we call in the biz a ‘cavitation’. This is not damaging to the joint, ligaments or bones and some people are just naturally a bit more ‘cracky’ than others.

Cracking your neck on purpose however is a totally different ball game. By taking your neck to this end range of movement and pushing it further to create a cavitation you are likely to overstretch the holding ligaments of the joint and you can potentially damage the joint capsule and small muscles surrounding it. You may also affect many other joints around it.

As chiropractors we go through at least four years of hands-on training to learn how to identify the exact joint which needs attention. From there, we focus directly on that joint with specificity to help it to regain function with a short, low impact thrust. When you haven’t learned and practiced these skills you are just rolling the dice and could really hurt yourself.

I don’t even adjust my own neck and I’ve been fully fledged Chiropractor for 14 years!

“But I always feel better after I crack my neck!”

Yes, you probably do, because one of the fifty-two joints you cavitated probably needed some help! The rest didn’t….

Seeing a chiropractor for some targeted treatment will often resolve the tightness and pain you were originally experiencing, and therefore prevent you from feeling the need to do a DIY job going forwards. Perfect! The problem is solved and you are no longer risking the stability of the structures in your neck. 

If you’ve got a neck that needs some attention, please contact us on info@corehealthchiropractic.co.uk or call on 01292 502 292.

‘til next time,

 Francesca