why does my neck crack so often?

could be arthritis - a chiropractor told me that if you can get a repeated crack over and over in the exact same way (turning your head to one side, or whatever), it could be arthritis. but mostly likely it's not. more likely things are slightly out of alignment, and/or you have muscle tension which is pulling on your vertabrae. if you can afford it, a trip or two to a chiropractor works wonders! it eliminated a lot of my neck cracking, not to mention neck soreness, tight shoulders, and headaches.

do you have muscle pain/headaches?

Swedish massage and some suitable neck stretches. May need one trip to Physical Therapist in order to get safe exercises. A good chiropractor, as sarah mentions, can also help. Their fees are now, in many states, covered by insurance, and besides, their rates are much lower than MDs.

I'm not sure what causes neck cracking, but I would be wary of letting anyone mess with your neck more than necessary. There's some concerning evidence that chiropractic manipulation is associated with an increased risk of stroke. (Link: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/32/5/1054 ) Not to be a fear-monger, but that area of the body has a lot of really, really important stuff passing through it - I would let it be as much as possible.

Do you crack your neck when it is out of line? My children do this and I swear that the more they do that, the more they need to do that. A chiropractor that practices "soft" manipulation instead of the bone cracking kind has done wonders for me!

I don't trust the old school, bone crackin' chiropractors!

I've got the same thing, although my neck is not sore, I don't have headaches, or anything that feels out of place...

As one of peggy's kids who cracks his own neck, I can only say the relief afforded is immense. On the other hand, my dad was one of those old school, bone crackin' chiropractors, and he didn't like to see us "self-treating" either, and I definitely don't recommend it. This is definitely a technique that requires a "touch" or "knack" to do well, and not everybody has it. As for needing it more once you have it done, it has been my own experience I don't realize the pain I've been ignoring until a treatment makes it go away. In that regard, "cracking your neck" is a lot like doing a good stretch before exercise. Most of the Super Bowl Bears were treated by my dad, so there must be something to it. I remember linemen coming to his office after a game and leaving measurably taller after the treatment.

so i'm not grabbing my head and popping my neck. just turning it gently to the side, which causes it to crack.

I don't know I have the same problem but I don't get headaches. When I stand up it feels like my right leg is tighter then my left leg. I just recently tried leg lifts (Sitting in a chair and moving the legs up toward my ceiling and I could hear a snap towards the end of my spinal cord) and I also feel it in my neck on the right side when I breath in and out would a chiropractor fix that because it's really messing with my posture on my right side.

My neck cracks at least 20 times a day, and that is without me doing any forceful stretch, just looking slightly to the side can make it crack, and it is one hell of a loud crack also.

I would be very aware of going to a chiropractor, very aware..

I used to be an Athelete, a lot of excersize, and muscles joints and all in good shape. one day i had been working for many hours straight learning over a table looking at TV screens for defects. I got home this day, went to wash my face with some jucy cold water, tried to stand back up and could not. went to doc, he told me 3 weeks in bed (NOT and option) but he told me that he can not advise me to see a chiropractor, but I shod consider it lol.

So off I went to the chiropractor. I had never in my life had a cracking joint, not any!!. well this chiropractor crasked every bone in my body i think, some that i never even knew existed, even my ears ?? HOW do ears crack ?, anyhow he cured me, but the next morning, i wake up, every part of me hurts like hell, so so tight, I help my fingers togeather and they cracked, I moved head to left it cracked so bad I yelped.

Today, every joint that the chiropractor cracked, cracks, and yes even the ears. if i do not crack them, especially the sole of my foot, toes and most painful ankles, I suffer so much pain that I can not even walk until I have. once I have I am totally relieved for a few hours. This was 10 years ago i saw that chiropractor. Today I am on more pain than I can wish for, and doctors say it is not Arthritis, they say i just crack now.

so beware of these “so called” chiropractors, maybe this is why medicine does not recognize them as genuine care yet. I very much regret visiting one, and I guess I will for the rest of my life!

be careful!

I was seing my chiropractor occasionally for adjustment. But then it started becoming more. I went to a physical therapist, who was very hands on with manipulation. AND BOY did I ever feel better. All my muscles were so overtight and so on that i considered normal. Plus stress. so I would consider that route. But check out the physical thereapy, have had done on other parts of my body, but they usually give moist heat and that electric stim then send you for exercies with weights. This last group was very hands on and really helped.

My neck cracks a lot lately just from turning my head. I’ve also had headaches almost constantly for at least a week. I never have purposely cracked my neck, but if I turn my head a 1/4 turn to the right it cracks and when I turn it back to headon it cracks. Also I have back pain more than I think I should. I don’t really do any major excersising or lifting. I do work in a fast food place and have to do stocking on a regular basis? Also it feels like my joints are weakening. I can hardly bear the pain involved in scooping ice cream. Oh, and I’m 18. Should I see a chiropractor? Or a PT? Any suggestions?

Can a chiropracter fix my body out? i crack my neck on purpose and i crack my toes,fingers,neck,back,ankles,wrist,shoulders…and now i can feel my shoulder blades now because they are popped right on the top of my skin and it is creepy.can a chiropracter put everything back into place and help me get everything back to normal?

i dont understand why my neck cracks like it does, i barly move my head to the right, and it cracks, and when i turn it back, it cracks again, like somethings cracking back into place. it dosnt happen when i turn my head from left to right though. sometimes, it makes me feel really sick too. it never hurts, but it gets really annoying.

I admit, I myself am a cracker. I loved to crack my back & neck and if anything else cracks, I felt the instant relief. But in time the more i did this the more I needed to continue. Once or twice a week at the Chiropractor was a treat, but I needed my daily cracks. The key to help this is to stop doing it and take up stretching. Don’t go for that extra pull for the crack sound. Just stay focused on stretching, taking up yoga is a great to help follow an instructional pattern. Also, consider taking Omega 3 (fish oils) and Calcium Magnesium Citrate Liquid. Diet (daily intake of water,green leafy foods a must, vegtables & fruits) and excercise (lifting light weights) to build up your muscles and bones. This is minimize or stop the cracking. Good luck!

I started having a lot of cracking in my neck in the past year, just when I move my head, I do not try to make it crack. It began when I took Levaquin, an antibiotic. It coincides with calcium and vitamin D deficiency and some liver damage from the Levaquin. Hmmmm….So far I have treated the liver with herbs, with no significant decrease in the cracking. I think taking calcium and vitamin D might help, I will try that next.

Hello Everyone,
I have been getting pains and also feels like trapped nerves in my neck for so many years now, and i also my left side of my face has been getting numb from time to time.. the only way for me to stop feeling that, i have to crack my neck.. and i do not like the feeling of the cracking neck stuff cause its hurts and it annoys others when i do. please some advice me.

Thanks to all

It depends on what is cracking—if it is the bones then maybe a chiro might be a good idea—but if it is the mucles accompanies by headache, it might be a trigger point and the more you crack it the worse it becomes—I had to have a trigger point injection to loosen up the muscle. but I have fused dics in my neck so that may be the difference.

yeah – I’m a cracker too.it’s been going on for years , and personally i think going to a chiropractor may have caused it.it really only occurs at night when i lie down , and it is partly involuntary – that is , i can control the way it happens to some extent , but also , I have to do it.
The two best things i’ve found for it are :
1.to make only small movements with my neck ( I mean at night in bed )
2.Use an electric massager on my neck just before bedtime.
Those ideas help , but it’s still pretty bad.I think mipica had some good ideas , about streching and also th Calcium Magnesium Citrate.