How to Crack My Neck

Signs you shouldn’t crack your neck

A lot of people crack their necks on a daily basis. What most dont know are the signs that should be taken into consideration before cracking it. Below are some signs of emergency medical conditions and need to be considered before, during and after cracking your cervical spine.

• Experiencing nausea and vomiting
• Having double vision or feeling that the room is spinning
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty swallowing
• Changes in sensation on one side of the face
• Having the worst headache of your life

These are only a few of the signs! They should act as a warning sign that cracking your neck may not be the best solution for you.

Why do I need to crack my neck?

Our joints and muscles are constantly sending information about their tension and position to the brain. The brain compairs this information with vestibular system and eyesight information. A restriction in a joint, changes the information the brain receives and a mismatch is created. This tends to result in headaches and a slight neck discomfort.

You get the urge to crack your neck because your body senses the restriction in the spine at that point. Its goal is to mobilize that joint and correct the restriction that will correct the mismatch that was created.

What happens when you crack your neck?

When you feel a restriction in your spine, you get the urge to mobilize it. Most people do this by forcefully pushing their neck in both directions and expect a crunchy result. The cracking or popping sounds are called cavitations. Cavitations decreases pain perception. This tends to provide a temporary relief period of about 2-3 hours and the urge returns. However, the pain might return and eventually lead to neck pain and jaw pain.

Why do I always have to crack my neck?

The reason the urge intensifies and becomes more frequent is because the gross manipulation does not correct the restricted joint. The restricted joint is the least likely joint to be mobilized during a manipulation. The joints above and below the restriction are the ones that get move and over time become more mobile. This hypermobility causes the restriction to be more restricted, and the urge becomes more frequent and intense.

How to crack my neck, safely?

As you can imagine after reading the sections above, cracking your own neck might not be the best solution to your problem. This is because there are a lot of things to pay attention to while cracking your neck. You want to make sure you are mobilizing the correct joint and evaluate other possible signs that may indicate a medical emergency.

If you are not experiencing any of those symptoms, you can always check our post about how to get rid of a crick in your neck.

The safest way to get the crook out of your neck is by seeing a Doctor of Chiropractic. A licensed Doctor of Chiropractic is a highly trained professional that can properly identify the reason for your neck pain and correct the restrictions. This can eliminate the crook in your neck and allow your body to function at its best.

How does a Doctor of Chiropractic crack your neck?

It starts with a thorough evaluation of your symptoms. When treatment is found safe and effective, the Doctor of Chiropractic will recommend the appropriate treatment. Getting the right joints moving will be a priority when you see PEAKiropractic.

Not everyone is comfortable with cervical adjustments. A qualified Doctor of Chiropractic, is able to adjust your neck in several ways to achieve the same result. The goal of the adjustement is to correct the joint restriction, decrease muscle tension in the back of the neck, improve mobility and range of motion. This combination of goals should help you stop the urge of cracking.

What are the benefits of cracking my neck?

A licensed Doctor of Chiropractor is a safe and effective way of cracking your neck. It will remove the kink in the neck, reduce muscle tension, and improve headaches.

What we see very often is people that have cervical pain, tend to crack their own necks. When we dig deeper in their medical history, we find out that they have been suffering from headaches and/or migraines for a long time. After getting the proper treatment by a licenses Doctor of Chiropractic like Dr. Demetris Elia, our patients are able to live a headache free life! Check out what our patients have to say.

How do I release tension in my neck?

There are many things that can result in tension, including a kink in the neck. Firstly, you can occasionally move the head through its normal range of motion, until we can see them. In addition, they can apply some light stretching as well to get some temporary relief. Check out our video on the stretches for neck discomfort below:

If you or any of your loved ones is suffering from headaches, migraines, pain or you simply know the need of a proper evaluation, we would be happy to help! We always strive to provide Precise, Effective, Alternative Kiropractic.