It is a common phenomenon to turn or tilt the head to the side and the neck cracks. If you crack your neck from time to time, you are not alone! You know how nice it can be to relieve this painful stiffness.
Continue reading to know more about poor posture neck cracking
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Sometimes, you may wonder why your neck is doing this and, more importantly, is it something to worry about? Is the cracking sound on my neck as a result of poor posture? You will get answers to these questions in this article.
We see many people who generally crack their knuckles, toes, hips, and ankles. Any joint can crack and provide an instant feeling of relief. Be rest assured that, in most cases, cracking should not be feared.
However, the sad truth behind the need to frequently crack the joints and neck indicates that there is an underlying problem. There are some exceptions when the cracking of the neck can be a sign of a major problem, so it is worth learning more about the signs of unhealthy cracks in the neck.
In This Post
What is Neck Cracking?
The term “cracking,” when referring to cracking the neck, is the sound that occurs when quick movements loosen the joints and ligaments in the neck.
A sore or stiff neck may be the result of sitting too long or bending your neck excessively, which causes pressure to build up in the joints. During the day, we may feel the need to get up, move around and then crack our neck, back or even the knuckles. Cracking the neck, back and knuckles are usually due to poor posture, body position or slouching over a desk all day.
Most people know the feeling of cracks in the joints. This can happen regularly throughout our lives. The release of the pressure often feels good, which leads most people to assume that it is natural. Many tend to believe that they really need to crack their necks to relax or relieve their neck pain. Also, many assume that the sound is as a result of the rupture of the ligaments or the cartilage that moves over another cartilage, thereby releasing tension. This is incorrect.
Although many people do it themselves, a professional can also do it. In general, in the case of cracks in the neck, the professional who performs this maneuver would be a chiropractor.
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Why Does Neck Cracking Happen
There are three main reasons that can make the neck to crack. They are, Escaping gas, Arthritis, and movement.
Let us take a little time to explain these concepts.
Escaping Gas
Throughout the body, the joints are covered with synovial fluid that acts as a lubricant. This is what helps bones and tissues move smoothly. This fluid contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
In the neck, there are paired joints, called facet joints, that go up and down on each side. Each of these facet joints is surrounded by a capsule filled with liquid and gas.
When manipulation is performed, the force, which is applied to the segment, separates the articular surfaces of the joint, which creates a reduction in pressure. This pressure reduction inside the joint creates bubbles or cavities from the gases present in the fluid. This, in turn, produces the cracking noise that people know.
Arthritis
If arthritis affects a joint, the cartilage can lose its smoothness causing the joint surface to become rough. As the surface of the joint becomes rougher, it can make noisy cracks as it moves.
Movements
When there is movement in the joints, it affects the tendons and ligaments. These are the fibers that connect the bones and muscles of the joint.
If a tendon moves slightly out of place, it makes a cracking sound when it returns to its original position.
Similarly, the ligaments can become tight, hence when the joint moves, it makes a cracking sound. This often happens in the ankle or knee.
Poor Posture Neck Cracking – Their Amazing Relationship
The neck contains many important and delicate structures, such as blood vessels, bones, muscles, ligaments, joints, glands and, most importantly, nerves and spinal cord.
Cracking the neck or any other joint may seem harmless. But by cracking the joints by force, it moves the bones suddenly, creating more problems. Regular cracking of your neck can quickly alter the alignment of your spine and cause other potential problems for the rest of your body.
Cracking your neck creates temporary relief, and you may want to do it again during, depending on the pain or stiffness in your neck.
Neck cracking can contribute to poor posture, pinched nerves, increased stiffness and pain over time, and worsening of an already misaligned upper neck.
Yes! Neck cracking can lead to poor posture and poor posture can lead to neck cracking too.
If your posture is distorted, each joint in your body could move in a compromised range of motion.
Compensation for muscle activity and postural alignment is not limited to the neck but moves up and down in your body in complex patterns. Although compensation models are unique to everyone, the most common clinical signs and symptoms associated with muscle fatigue include headaches and migraines, hip/lower back pain, jaw pain, and facial pain, vertigo/vertigo.
Better alignment of the posture will mean less compensating. Of course, any misalignment of the body posture is already a poor posture.
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Manipulating your neck requires a lot of force to create cavitation (crack). Not only that it requires a lot of force, but manipulation is not specific to a certain segment of the neck. This means that a joint that was previously in the correct position can now be misaligned and could further complicate the condition. This is how neck cracking can lead to poor posture.
As the activity tension increases, especially the repetitive type, such as checking your phone or working on a computer, your posture can get misaligned. The body’s response is to tighten the muscles of the neck to act as a splint to prevent it from overstretching. But then, the splint becomes too tight and causes more problems in your shoulders and lower back. And this is where the vicious circle of cracks begins. The poor posture developed can cause neck pain and stiffness in the neck leading to neck cracking.
At some point, self-manipulation of the cervical spine ceases to be therapeutic and becomes a habit. When the self-manipulation of a joint becomes too much, due to improper strength and technique, the ligaments begin to loosen and hypermobility begins to occur. Prolonged hypermobility may increase the risk of osteoarthritis and other complications.
Not only could it affect the general structure of your neck, but it could lead to neurological complications. Constant self-manipulation of the neck can cause nerve irritation that can have unwanted effects such as headache, dizziness or even paraesthesia.
Get Professional Help
Although these are the negative aspects of neck self-management, the adjustments have a positive effect on the body when performed by a qualified professional.
Pay a visit to a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist to properly realign and your poor posture through proper neck cracking. They tend to be quite modest in comparison to the complication rates of other medical treatments. However, there are always other options.
There are many approaches that one can take to reduce neck pain and help with alignment. The best approach is to talk with your chiropractor or other professionals.
Conclusion and Recommendation
If the pain and stiffness of your neck are still quite mild. It is easier to use certain strategies that can be much more useful than certain instant actions.
For instance, former New York City ballet dancer Brynn Putnam points out that a simple stretch of the neck on her desk throughout the day can help relieve tension and combat the hunched posture that has become so common.
You can also concentrate on stretches that benefit the whole neck, shoulders, and back. Stretches like the inclined spine or a classic yoga staple like a bridge pose can help. You can read our article here find out how you can keep a straight posture.
If your neck pain persists, it is probably time to get professional information to help you get your posture back in line.
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