Cracking some parts of your joints is a pretty common habit. Of course, many individuals do it while stretching. You can crack your knuckles, backs, toes, fingers, and even your neck. However, not everyone uses this technique for the same reason. Some may use it to release the pressure that they are currently feeling on the neck or shoulder due to stress. Others use it as a form of habit.

But the question, is there any benefit of cracking your neck regularly? The answer to the question is yes and no. Why? Cracking your neck gently or cracking it occasionally won’t give you any harm. However, doing it incorrectly or frequently, or too forceful can cause you more discomfort and pain compared to the feeling before you cracked your neck.

To be fully informed about the neck cracking, continue to read on to know about the possible risk when you try cracking your own neck, and when to ask for the professional help from a chiropractor in Prahran.

What Makes the Cracking Sound?

When you crack any of your joints or neck, the capsule around the joint will stretched out. These capsules on your joints contain fluid, and stretching them enables the fluid to release the pressure on the joint.

As the pressure from the joint decreases, the fluids from the capsule will turn into a gas. When the fluid turns into gas, it’ll create a popping or cracking sound. This process is known as cavitation or boiling, which is not harmful.

If you have several sets of joints that are called facet joints, which is located on each side of the neck, if you crack it, the facet will be stretched out, and fluids will spread in the joint capsule. Once the fluid turned into a gas, your neck joints will pop.

This process makes your neck create a popping and cracking sound because it releases pressure from the neck. Also, according to other experts, the cracking and popping sound came from a bubble being created in the capsule of your joints.

chiropractor in PrahranThe Benefits of Cracking the Neck

Though cracking can give you benefits in the long run, it is recommended to talk to your physician or a chiropractor in Prahran before doing this kind of practice. They can give you professional advice, whether it is safe or not, to do that kind of method to provide relief.

A study has been shown that cracking the neck by a chiropractor can prove positive mental advantages. Because many individuals linked cracking sounds with the release of pressure makes it more successful to the adjustment of joint, giving them the idea of “getting healed.”

In other cases, just hearing the popping or cracking sound can make individuals feel better, even if there was no pressure released from any joints. This kind of process is called the “placebo effect.”

Cracking the neck also releases endorphins in your neck joints. It is produced by the pituitary gland and released by the body to help manage and control the pain. In the time you crack your neck, endorphins will be released in the area and gives you the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

When to Call a Chiropractor?

If you pop your neck regularly and you don’t feel any discomfort or pain, probably you don’t need to seek chiropractic care. However, if you crack your neck frequently and you notice something is different or wrong, call a chiropractor immediately.