Question
I have a bad habit of popping my neck. I started this 6 years ago, and doctors have told me to stop it. But, in some way or another, I kept doing it. It felt good always when I did it, but then my neck felt tight again and had to pop it again. Now, that I almost stopped doing it since my neck doesn't pop unless if I twist it with my hand, it now feels like as if there's something moving. I also hear my neck's moves and it feels as if it shakes sometimes and it's out of place. My neck hurts more than ever before now, and there are two knots. What did I do to my neck? I am so afraid that I damaged it badly and have arthritis now. Will I have to have a surgery to fix my neck? I also get a lot of headaches. The way I hear my neck and the bones move creeps me out, and also when I'm sleeping and turn my neck, it pops by itself now. What should I do?

Thank you in advance.


Answer
Hi Nesme,

Excessively 'popping' your neck can lead to hypermobility in your neck. This means that the joints in your neck are not as stable as they use to be which and lead to arthritis and also cause muscle tightness as your muscles have to work extra hard to stabilize your neck. The reason you hear your neck move and it feels like its out of place is because the joints aren't stable.

You probably don't need to consider surgery at this point. I would recommend that you find a good Chiropractor who can help teach you exercises to stabilize your neck and also use a modality like laser therapy to help with the hypermobility.

The first step would be to get assessed by a Chiropractor so they can determine what the best course of therapy would be for you.

I hope this helps!

Dr. Liza