"SNAP, CRACKLE, POP" We’re all familiar with this sound. No, I’m talking about Rice Krispies…I’m talking to YOU - the serial neck popper.It’s like you are straight out of an old school martial arts movie, sound effects included. You may look around yourself and witness the cringing of the people around you, but alas you carry on more focused than ever to achieve the “crack”.I’m pretty sure if your joints were capable of it, you would pop it in more frequently than you currently do!How can something that feels so good, be so bad?When someone presents to my office with secondary condition of chronic neck pain, one of my first questions is “do you pop or crack your neck?”More often than not, they answer “YES”.Much to their dismay, I give my recommendations for them to avoid popping or cracking their necks.What they fail to realize is that the very thing that was providing them relief from their neck pain was the very thing that was facilitating the problem.You might be asking yourself, well “how can this be?”See, what happens when you self- manipulate the tendency is that you are not moving the affected vertebrae that has shifted.But what you are doing is moving the vertebrae above or below the shifted vertebrae.What you have now are vertebrae that are overcompensating by moving way too much which creates loose ligaments/instability.But what about that “crunching” noise that I hear?That sound is created as a result of tiny gas bubbles within the fluid that is lubricating your joints. So, when you “crack” your neck, these bubbles get released and pop creating those sounds.Many people ask me, is it bad that my neck or back cracks with normal movements or stretching? No, it’s shouldn't be a concern most of the time.I do want you all to take some things into consideration the next time you feel the urge to “crack”:
- Risk factors - Does your neck have any disc bulges or protrusions? Is there any arterial plaguing or anatomical malformations? At times these risk factors are susceptible to rotation/twisting forces in the neck. May of these problems can be identified and planned for with a proper examination, but without one, how would you know?
- What is the current state of your spine? - How is your spine aligned? Do you know which direction puts you into a better position? Are you moving the one vertebrae or a bunch? Are you moving the vertebrae into a worse position?
- Constant Manipulation = Loose Ligaments = Poor Stability - Every time you manipulate your spine, you are causing ligaments in the spine to stretch like a rubber band. When you stretch a rubber band enough times, it eventually loses its shape and becomes unstable. Your ligaments work in the same manner. If subjecting your spine to self-manipulation, despite how wonderful it feels in that moment, your neck will eventually become a hot mess.
Having ligament instability is a slippery slope because it can lead to a dependency on manipulation to keep them feeling good. And you can see why chiropractors could get a bad rap for getting people “addicted” to being adjusted.So, ultimately what I’m trying to tell you to do is…STOP IT. STOP IT. Just STOP IT.Self-manipulation will provide some temporary relief and good sensations but it is typically coupled with hyper-mobility and long-term structural problems.After all those things that I have outlined above, ask yourself is it worth it to self-manipulate? Do those few minutes of temporary relief outweigh the risks of what you could be potentially doing?But what you could do instead is seek out a chiropractor. Seek out one that is more than just trying to make you feel better in that moment.As a Life By Design chiropractor, we address shifts in the spine that affect your nervous system (the wires that send information to your entire body) and in turn can limit your health in ways that we feel but more often in ways that we don’t. We work to correct those shifts and teach you lifestyle steps to avoid recreating them – the result is much better health and increased performance.Did you like this article? Feel free to share it with the people you care about and see if a Complimentary Consultation is the next step to regain their health.Dr. Harris is a Life By Design Chiropractor practicing in Annapolis, MD.