Is It Bad to Crack Your Neck?

Is It Bad to Click Your Neck?

We get asked this question in our centres a lot. Often just after someone cracks their neck in front of us during their initial appointment. So, is it bad? Yes and no.

It all depends on if you’re doing it intentionally or not and how often.

Some people are naturally more clicky than others. Sometimes just turning their head causes a popping sound. This isn’t going to cause any harm. Strengthening up the neck muscles around the neck and upper back can help stabilise the joints so they don’t’ click as often.

“Feeling the need to click your own neck on a regular basis can signify an underlying imbalance in your spine.”

If you are trying to click your own neck then this can be a problem. Feeling the need to click your own neck on a regular basis can signify an underlying imbalance in your spine. Although cracking your neck can provide relief, it rarely addresses the underlying issue. Over time people often find themselves cracking their necks more and more frequently; often we meet people who do it multiple times per day! And that’s not great.

Is cracking your neck bad?

The reason you feel the need to click your neck is a build-up of tension in the neck and shoulders. This is most often related to sitting in front of a computer or phone too much or stress. The muscles tighten up around your neck and shoulders and over time the joints in your spine start to lock up. It’s this build-up of tension that feels like it needs to be released.

The problem when you click your own neck is often that you are moving the wrong joint. Most of the time you will be clicking the joint above or below that’s actually moving more already to compensate for the stuck one. The clicking releases endorphins and feels nice, but it’s not actually helping the problem, and may even be making the problem worse in the long term.

How to crack your own neck?

The best thing to do is see a Chiropractor. Other health professionals are available but I’m a Chiropractor and I’m biased and think we’re the best – otherwise I’d have trained as something else.

A Chiropractor is trained to locate those stuck joints, what we cause subluxations, and get the right joint moving in the right way. This addresses the underlying issue rather than just giving a temporary relief with the need to do it again hours later.

I’ll leave you with this quote:

“When ‘immobilization’ (a Chiropractic subluxation) occurs in a joint and remains there for more than 10-15 days that joint begins to degenerate.” – Tapio Videman, M.D. Clinical Biomechanics 1987

So seek a professional to get your spine healthy and moving properly. The older you will thank you for it.

If you’re interested in chiropractic treatment and how it could support your lifestyle, why not book an appointment with us at the Chiropractic Centre in Bristol? You can give us a call on 01179741501 or click here to book an appointment. You can also find out more about our chiropractic services.