Question
I went to England in March, and one morning I woke up and my neck was cracking/popping when I moved my head from side to side. I thought that I had possibly slept on it wrong, but here I am almost 3 months later, and its not getting better. Its really loud, and sometimes it feels like its at the base of my skull, and other times it seems further down. My friends can even hear it cracking when I turn my head. I'm not sure what I need to do!!!!

Answer
Hi Meredith,

Your question depends entirely on one thing, when it "pops", does it do it again immediately afterward in the same spot?

If it does, this means you have a term called crepitus. This is a constant abnormal grinding that you can feel and sometimes hear. This is due to joint deterioration. Many things can cause this, 90% of the time it is OA, (osteoarthritis), and less commonly other types of arthropathies. These include rheumatoid, psoriatic, gout and other rare autoimmune conditions. The only way to know for sure is an x-ray and blood work, if the x-ray is not definitive. OA is common in everybody over the age of 50 and can occur in much younger individuals if they have been subjected to trauma or constant load bearing irritation.
The good news is that Glucosamine Sulfate/or HCL with MSM, a common OTC supplement, has been proven in many studies to reverse or stop this condition.
Make sure you get a trusted brand since these are not regulated by the FDA.

You can know for sure by being a member of ConsumerLab.com.

If it "pops" and doesn't return in the same spot for more than 15 minutes, then it is called "cavitation", this is simply a nitrogen gas release from the vacuum build up in the joint. It is no different than when a person "pops" their knuckles and hear a sound. If you try and immediately repeat this, it won't work until the suction or vacuum re-establishes itself in a half hour or more.

It is an old wives tail that this causes OA, quite the contrary, it prevents it by keeping the surface of the joint awash in synovial fluid or the bodies "oil".

If this noise from your neck is painful, then it is probably a subluxation or partial dislocation/abnormal movement of the joint. This can be corrected in short order by cervical manipulation by a Chiropractor. It is painless and the results should be immediate.

I would bet that you threw your neck out by sleeping on it wrong and all it needs is to be put back in place. Have a local D.C. do this and your problem should be solved.

Let me know how it goes,
Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com