Question
Hello Dr. Leatherman,
I am a 15 year old male who spends a lot of his time outside, usually for stretching in some activities I crack my joints to relieve some tension and get the most of my capabilities. Yesterday I cracked my neck and kept playing outside and felt nothing. Roughly 5 hours later I tilted my head to the right and felt a sharp pain. It happened before so I just went to sleep and it went away. This time, I went to sleep and I can tilt my head further than I could last time but I still feel an incredibly sharp pain if I try to bring my ear to my shoulder. I'm hoping I pulled a muscle and it isn't too dangerous and I don't have the time to see a doctor or a chiropractor so can you help me out?
Thanks.

P.S. I sent this exact message to Dr. Starbuck, but since then I have noticed some other details I'll ask him when I get an answer back. I've noticed that my neck and head are not aligned and the only way to align them is to tilt my head to the side where it hurts. I also noticed my shoulders are not aligned either. When I look in the mirror my shoulders are at different elevations naturally, and I can move them back to the same level but then my head gets tilted. Is that of any concern?

Thanks in advance,
Shawn.

Answer
Dear Shawn,

First of all you should not be "cracking" your neck.  This is a horrible thing to do and frequently winds up causing injuries.  I have seen teenagers who have dislocated their vertebral joints in the neck and had to be placed in a surgical Halo brace for 8 weeks to allow the dislocation to heal.  Don't ever try to do this again.  Only a qualified medical/chiropractic professional with years of study, training, and practice should manipulate the joints of the spine in any manner!

Now, you do need to have this checked out with all of the postural asymmetries you have described from the shoulders, neck and head.  It is likely that you have some structural problems. You probably do have a severely strained muscle, and probably a tear, but there could be underlying issues that have not been addressed which is affecting the healing process, or actually worsening the problem.  

Not having time to get it checked out is not an excuse.  You have your whole life ahead of you to be busy...talk to your parents and get your butt to a local chiropractic physician and have some x-rays taken along with a complete physical examination of the neck and upper back.  

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net