My husband cracks his neck multiple times a day. He complains that his neck often feels stiff, which he attributes to the 30-mile bike rides he regularly takes and the uncomfortable sleeping positions he winds up in during the night. So, as a quick fix, he whips his neck from left to right. Pop. Pop. The thing is: I absolutely detest the sound. After all, it sounds like bones smashing against each other. Gross.
In the hopes of resolving this marital issue, I needed to convince him to cool it with the neck snapping. I figured it wouldn’t be hard; I had to believe all that popping was bad for him. But, as a good journalist, I decided to do my due diligence first.
Not to say I told you so, but after lots of research and interviewing sports medicine physicians, I learned that I was right, though not in the ways I imagined. Cracking your neck can be risky and sometimes downright dangerous. Overstretching your neck joint can also derail your athletic performance in specific instances.
Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for my husband, I have some great argument ammunition next time I beg him to stop. Here’s why cracking your neck may do more harm than good.
What Happens When You Crack Your Neck?
Your neck is also known as the cervical part of your spine, and consists of seven bones, or vertebrae, stacked atop one another. When you crack your neck, you’re popping tiny gas bubbles that have accumulated in the fluid within the spinal joints (these are called facet joints). It’s the same phenomenon that occurs when you crack your knuckles, says Dr. Scott Laker, a sports medicine doctor and president of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
(FYI: Check out the video below to learn more about what happens in your neck when you crack it.)
When you yank your neck around, those gas bubbles burst and release any pressure that has built up within your joints, says Laker. The gas bubbles pop, creating a sensation of relief, or as my husband says, a drop in tension.
There are a couple of other less common explanations as well. If you have super-tight muscles, for example, they may rub on top of the joints and bones in your neck, says Laker. If the joints in your neck are extra flexible, say, if you have a connective tissue disorder, that might mean the surrounding tissues and ligaments can’t keep the vertebrae in place as securely as they should. When the vertebrae are unstable, the joint capsule—the soft tissue sac that surrounds and protects the joint—can “pop” on itself.
Neck Cracking Weakens Ligaments
While cracking your neck can provide quick relief, doing so won’t actually fix the underlying reason your neck hurts. As such, the pain or tension will recur, and you’ll likely repeatedly feel the urge to crack. Some people develop a habit of cracking their neck multiple times a day, says Laker. This is where things can get dicey.
Tissues in the Cervical Region Stretch Out
If you frequently crack your neck (and especially if you’re putting a lot of force on it by using your hands), you can strain the nearby ligaments and loosen your neck joint.
“Over time, the soft tissues that hold that joint together are going to stretch out,” says Dr. Alan Beyer, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Southern California.
And then you’ve got a new health issue on your hands—ligament laxity, which is a condition that causes your joints to be more flexible than normal. This can make your neck feel increasingly tense or unstable, says Laker. You can get trapped in a vicious cycle where your neck feels stiff, so you crack it again and again, which, over time, loosens the joint and leads to more tension, which makes you want to keep cracking your neck, he adds. “Ultimately, you’re making the muscle tension worse because you’re making the hypermobility worse,” he says.
The risk of increased ligament laxity is greatest in people who already have hyperflexible joints to begin with. Still, this problem can occur in anyone, even those with totally healthy joints and ligaments—if you crack enough, says Laker.
If you rarely crack your neck, you don’t really need to worry about laxity, says Laker, but even one-off cracks come with risks. If you put enough pressure on your neck—think: one hand’s on the top of your head and another’s below your jaw, and you give it a sharp twist—the disc can herniate and trigger intense pain from the surrounding nerves. This is super rare, though. Out of every ten million neck manipulations, only between five and ten result in some kind of injury.
While Rare, Neck Cracking Can Damage a Critical Artery
The scariest potential consequence of neck cracking is what’s called a vertebral artery dissection, in other words, a tear in an artery. According to Laker, the vertebral artery is a blood vessel that runs through the bones in your neck that feeds your brain stem and part of your spinal cord. If that artery is injured, you can experience a type of stroke that can lead to permanent neurological issues. In even rarer cases, it can be life-threatening.
While cracking your neck can provide quick relief, doing so won’t actually fix the underlying reason your neck hurts. As such, the pain or tension will recur, and you’ll likely repeatedly feel the urge to crack.
The risk is lowest when you consult a professional, such as a certified chiropractor or physical therapist, who is trained to perform neck manipulations in a safe and controlled manner. But, even then, artery injuries can occur with the very best precautions, says Laker. Some people unknowingly have underlying conditions, like collagen disorders or a history of neck trauma from, for example, a sports injury or car accident, that increase their risk. They might not have any symptoms until the injury occurs. “It’s not a problem until it’s an enormous problem,” says Laker.
How Cracking Your Neck Affects Performance
The neck plays a crucial role in many sports, and as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) states, “Where the head goes, the body will follow.” To be at the top of your game, your neck needs to move freely and decisively. A less-stable neck can interfere with your posture, breathing mechanics, balance, vision, and energy levels, says Laker. In any sport, being able to scan your environment comfortably is super critical, he adds.
Frequent neck cracking can affect training in the following ways:
- Reduced ability to scan your surroundings: When you ski, for instance, your neck helps you scan your environment and get a feel for the terrain, all while keeping a pulse on nearby trees and other skiers—if your neck’s struggling, your ability to traverse the slope may suffer, too.
- Fewer reps at the gym: As for strength training? Increased neck mobility can make it “difficult to perform higher repetitions or do higher loads of exercises using the neck,” says Milica McDowell, a certified exercise physiologist.
- Restricted breathing: If you’re a cyclist, a tense neck can restrict your ability to breathe deeply, says Laker.
- Fatigue and poor posture: Neck pain, which may feel dull, throbbing, or sharp, can also make you feel fatigued earlier if you’re hiking or running, McDowell says. And it can impair your posture, she adds, which can throw off your muscles and joints and prevent you from moving around properly—a skill you need with any sport.
- Increased risk of injury: Neck laxity can also increase your risk of a serious injury, such as cervical spine dislocation (which occurs when the vertebrae in the neck shift out of alignment), if you play a contact sport like football or soccer, says Beyer.
Stretch Don’t Crack
Cracking your neck—even though it might feel good—doesn’t solve the root problem. If you constantly feel the need to manipulate your neck, see a doctor. They can determine if you have a health condition (such as degenerative disc disease, bone spurs, or arthritis) that may improve with treatment.
Chin Tucks, Head Rolls, and Forehead-to-Palm Presses
If you feel the itch to crack before or after a long ride or big climb, consider stretching your neck instead, advises Laker. He recommends chin tucks (pulling your chin toward your neck) and head rolls (moving your head in a circular motion). Another trick to stabilize and strengthen your neck muscles: put your palm on your forehead and press your head into it.
Heating pads, foam rollers (like this one), massages (even if it’s with your own hands or an at-home massage device), and a nice soak in a jacuzzi or hot bath are all effective ways to decrease tension.
Finally, consider working with a physical therapist if your neck pain and persistent cracking are interfering with your performance. A solid stretching or strengthening program can keep your neck strong, healthy, and pain-free, says Beyer.
And if you’re hellbent on cracking your neck? The safest approach is to simply rotate your head from shoulder to shoulder without using your hands, says Beyer. The real concern is when you, or someone else, hold your neck and forcibly manipulate it. That’s where you can run into trouble.
