What About Your Neck?

Cracking joints are part of everyday life, that’s just a fact. Your neck, back, fingers, knees, shoulders, you name it, everything will start creaking eventually, and there are plenty of opinions about how harmful or helpful cracking your joints can be, but the real question is: Should you be worried when it starts to happen?

The process of cracking a joint is called crepitus and refers to the decrease in pressure when the fluid inside the joints turns into gas when the joint stretches and settles back into place. It’s mostly benign and actually can provide a small measure of pain relief when you do it, but if it happens constantly or produces pain instead of relaxation, that may be indicative of a bigger issue going on.

The benefits of crepitus are mostly mental and not physiological, just the act of hearing that satisfying pop is enough to cause a placebo effect that relaxes the body. The other known benefit is the release of endorphins when you crack the joints in your neck area, which are hormones that help with pain management and relaxation.

Cracking or grinding of joints can also be a sign of damage in the cervical joint, here’s a quick way to know if the joint popping you hear es past the line of benign and is going onto more worrisome territory:

• Cracking that repeats every time you move a certain way, or nearly every time
• Cracking that’s accompanied by pain or swelling
• Cracking that starts following an accident or surgery that affects the cervical spine

If any of these conditions apply to you, seek advice from your doctor so they can recommend treatment or refer you to a chiropractor within your network.

Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119