Question
Hi, I have developed a click in my neck whenever I turn left and then return back to stright. It is not painful but very annoying. My neck is a little tender to touch at times on the left side. I went to an Osteopath about 6 weeks ago who could see nothing wrong but was not able to fix the problem.
My question is do I go back to the Osteo or to a Chiropractor or just see my GP.
Thanks.

Answer
Dear Sean,

Neck clicking can be the result of a few different issues.  The noises are called CREPITUS, and it is sometimes hard to pinpoint the origination.  It can be a problem with the actual joint spaces in the neck called the facet joint, but if the noise is repetitive in a short period of time, the fact joint is probably not the issue.  

It can be adhesions within the fascial tissue that surrounds the muscles...every muscle is covered by a fascial layer, and there are also complete fascial slings that found throughout the body.  As you move the neck, the fascia can actually tear free of being adhered together, which is actually a good thing, but will make small crunching noises.

Lastly, if you have an area of ligamentous instability/laxity, or tendon instability/laxity, motions of the neck will allow the tissue to snap back-n-forth which will result in clicking noises.

Either way, none of these things is a major problem, and can sometimes be difficult to get rid of.  I see this in my clinical practice frequently, and I can only resolve it in about 70-75% of cases.  Other times, it persists no matter what I do.

I would suggest that you try a chiropractic physician due to the higher level of training in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment.  In the cases I see, after I differentiate the offending tissue, it is the main target, but often a combination of spinal manipulation, resistive stretching protocols and myofascial release is utilized.  A GP will do nothing for this other than image the spine...they don't treat these issue and you will most likely be told nothing after the exam.  Hope this helps Sean.