Okay guys I've been popping my neck for about 7 years now. I can manipulate my neck in so many ways its crazy how I can crack it. I go all over the place (my head) to crack it. I do it constantly, more than 10 times a day. At first, it felt good and I didn't have any immediate repercussions from it. However, for about 2 years, my neck has been hurting so badly, like a strong pressure in my neck. The only relief is popping it. When I don't pop it, it hurts like a mofo and there is serious pressure there. It still feels good most of the time (the relief) but sometimes when I pop it it hurts as well. I can't stop doing it because of the pain. Additionally, sometimes when I pop it I get a shooting electrical pain in one of my hands. Sometimes the right one and sometimes the left. It goes up my arms somewhere too. I can't describe what it feels like it is really painful. After I exercise or hoop, usually when I pop it it hurts all down my hands and fingers. Has anyone experienced this? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I had spinal fusion surgery last year about this time. It started out with pain in my back, then my shoulder and then numbness down my arm to my thumb. It turns out that I had a herniated disc caused by arthritis from an old football injury. Go to your personal doctor and have them check you out. If they suspect a serious problem they will refer you to a specialist. Don't wait as long as I did as the longer you wait the more the recovery time is.
I think you may have created neck problems through worrying about your neck. I am clearly not licensed to diagnose your problems... BUT it sounds to me like stress.
Ok I'm gonna tell you to stop cracking your neck. You are irritating everything in your neck by doing that. Do not see a chiropractor. In my experience the chiropractors I saw made things worse because of the manipulation of the joints they did. Start doing neck stretches for your entire neck and exercises that work the front of your neck. You need to strengthen the front of your neck and the muscles under your jaw and near the adam's apple. This will help a lot....and stop cracking your neck.
just like core exercises can help lower back pain, if you work out your neck it should help, too. try hanging off the side of the bed, like you would with your feet, only with your neck. stretch it out, too. and stop cracking your neck. I used to do it too. It's one thing to crack your knuckles, (or in my case, my knees, arms, lower back, toes, feet and whatever else), but your neck is too important to be messed with like that.
You never know if you're popping yourself into a good or bad direction, even if you feel relief. For example, if your body is used to poor posture, then it's going to feel uncomfortable in good posture initially, since it's not used to it. sometimes, poor posture feels better because it's conditioned to be in bad posture. You could have something like thoracic outlet syndrome. Basically, a nerve is getting compressed, probably because something is out of alignment. I've had it before, but felt the pain primarily in the neck and shoulder area. Go to a doctor and a physical therapist.
based on personal experience (so obviously it depends on what's actually going on), they can help by deeply massaging the specific areas and "popping" an area that he's not popping on his own. It could be rooted in the back...could be rooted in a muscle. Who knows. A good chiro can make that determination over a few appts and recommend to PT as needed
you should be really careful anytime you get numbness/tingling sensations with respect to popping or cracking your spine. See a doctor.
