Sometimes, when you move your neck, you hear a clicking or cracking sound. If it happens occasionally, you may think you cracked a joint, just like when you crack your knuckles. But if it happens more often — like every day — you may worry that the neck cracking sound is a sign of something more serious.
In most cases, hearing clicking, cracking, or popping sounds at the base of your skull sounds horrible but is nothing to worry about. It’s quite common and has a very simple explanation: neck crepitus.
What Is That Clicking Sound in My Neck?
When you move your neck and hear cracking noises, what you’re hearing is neck crepitus. It can sound like clicking, popping, cracking, or grinding, and while the sound is annoying, neck crepitus is generally no cause for alarm.
What Causes Neck Crepitus?
Our neck, or cervical spine, is made of seven vertebrae, or bones. Between each bone, there’s some cartilage, which helps your neck bones move and protects your joints. As we age, the cartilage in our joints can wear down, though it can be damaged by an injury (like a car accident). When the cartilage is damaged or worn, our bones rub together, which creates a clicking or grinding noise.
The other main cause of neck crepitus is neck cracking, which is similar to knuckle cracking. Your joints have empty spaces where air or gas bubbles form. When you move your neck joint — either intentionally or unintentionally — you hear a cracking or popping sound. While it’s generally believed that the cracking or popping sound is caused by the gas bubbles popping, more recent research indicates the sound may be the gas bubbles forming.
While cartilage damage and joint popping are the main causes of neck crepitus, there are other medical conditions and situations that can cause check crepitus.
Movement
Like other joints, your neck joint and cervical spine have ligaments and tendons to support your head and neck. Without these tendons and joints, you wouldn’t be able to move your head and neck. Sometimes your tendons or ligaments get “caught” on your bones while you move. As you continue moving, the tendon or muscle releases, but you hear a popping or snapping sound.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. The cartilage on the ends of our bones wears down, causing pain and inflammation in our joints. Osteoarthritis is most common in the hands, knees, hips, and spine, but you can also have neck arthritis (cervical osteoarthritis).
Sometimes the grinding sounds are caused by facet joint osteoarthritis. This form of arthritis is specific to the cervical spine and happens when the protective cartilage between the facet joints has degraded.
Is Neck Crepitus Serious?
As a rule, neck crepitus is nothing to worry about. You may hear grinding sounds every once in a while, every day, or even a few times a day when you move your neck. The sound may be bothersome but doesn’t indicate a serious medical issue. However, if the neck crepitus is accompanied by neck pain or neck stiffness, you should seek medical advice to rule out anything more serious. Contact your doctor immediately if you have neck crepitus with:
- Numbness
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Severe neck pain
- Loss of mobility
- Pain that radiates down either arm
- Recent head or neck injury
- Frequent neck cracking (it happens every time you move)
How to Treat Neck Crepitus
In most cases, neck crepitus is annoying but doesn’t cause pain or discomfort. However, because it’s annoying, you may adjust your routine to avoid feeling or hearing the grinding sounds or a popping sensation, like turning with your entire back, to avoid too much neck movement.
But using your neck less could create more problems with neck crepitus. The less you use your neck, the more likely the muscles will weaken, which could lead to a stiff neck and sore muscles. The more sore you are, the less likely you are to use your neck, which could lead to more neck stiffness.
Fortunately, you can keep your neck muscles healthy and reduce any associated neck pain and neck crepitus at home or with some professional help.
Exercise
Your cervical spine is probably the most mobile joint in your body. Without it, you couldn’t look up, down, or side-to-side. Strengthening exercises can provide stability to your neck, shoulders, and even back and keep your neck flexible and healthy,
Physical Therapy
Exercise is a good start and may be all you need to eliminate neck crepitus and neck pain. But if exercise isn’t helping, consider physical therapy. A physical therapist can teach you proper movements and exercises to reduce neck cracking and stiffness.
Acupuncture or Massage
No matter why your neck muscles are tight, acupuncture or massage therapy can reduce or relieve tension in your neck. While these alternative therapies may not eliminate your neck crepitus, they can reduce inflammation caused by stiff or tense neck muscles.
Ergonomics
A fair amount of neck problems are caused by poor ergonomics. Whether it’s sitting at a workstation that’s not set up properly, staring at a mobile device for too long, or poor posture, incorrect ergonomics can cause pain in the neck, leading to neck crepitus. Proper ergonomics can decrease the pain and reduce how often you experience neck cracking sounds.
Can Chiropractic Help With Neck Crepitus?
If your neck crepitus isn’t causing any pain or discomfort, it’s unlikely that chiropractic care will “fix” it. However, if your neck crepitus is coupled with some neck pain, neck cracking by a chiropractor may improve your symptoms and provide relief.
No matter why your neck is clicking, cracking, or popping, the team at Flourish Chiropractic Spa is here to help. Our comprehensive, holistic approach to patient care ensures we treat the whole person and help you live a healthier life. Schedule an appointment today.
