Sitting down at a desk all day means I often get a stiff neck and end up snapping my neck left or right to relieve the pressure that seems to build up.
I've read previously that cracking fingers, necks didn't cause any long term effects but once or twice I've creeked my neck and I did it so hard that it made me feel faint and dizzy.
Is this something I should think about stopping for the long term? I feel like I can avoid it if I ignore the feeling of the pressure building up and not creek it, but it's difficult! The only time I feel at my best is if I've been on holiday for a week and my body generally feels a lot healthier with no stiffness.
Obviously I can't go on holiday every time I start feeling the aches and pains come back, so any advice would be appreciated. I feel that swimming and going to the gym helps, so I'll continue doing that for now.
Hi Phillp
Welcome to HP 🙂
Not knowing your case and not being able to palpate your neck via the internet, it sounds that you need some massage or manipulation therapy with suitable exercises for you to perform. It you are feeling dizzy you shouldn't do what you are doing. Neck tension can effect blood pressure. Sounds like you have some stress in your life. In the long term you may need to look at your the preception of these stressors. Meanwhile get a practitioner to work on your neck.
Best Wishes
RP
I like to bend at the waist with my hands touching the floor to relieve pressure in my neck. I stay in that position for a little while, as long as I am comfortable or until the weight of my head causes the vertebrae to adjust. There is often a small pop as something goes back into proper alignment. I find this to be a gentle method.
The spine functions as a unit, in fact the whole body does, but just considering the spine for now:
There is a relationship between the pelvis, where you sit, and the head, which must be kept level for viewing screens, maintaining balance etc. Tension arises when the position and movement of one end come into conflict with the other end.
It's similar to the way that a piece of string, twisted from the ends, will kink somewhere along its length. Just try to sort out the kink, and you put more strain into the area, not less. When you feel the strain in the neck, this is what is happening. By self-clicking, the body is letting go of coordination of the whole spine to stop you from damaging tissue. It brings instant relief, but then 20 minutes later you probably want to do it again, so it isn't a cure.
The position sense of the joints of the neck also relates to metabolic functions, such as blood flow to the head, disruption of this mechanism is probably what makes you dizzy, also temporary confusion for the brain as to where it is in space. One of my teachers warned me 'stop doing that, you'll go mad'! A little dramatic perhaps, but he's right that it doesn't solve the problem.
You need to unravel the whole string:
Get an ergonomic assessment of your desk arrangements.
Get your eyes tested, make sure there is no straining to read type etc.
Don't spend too long in one position without getting up and moving around. I would get up every 20 mins, even if just to sit back down again right away.
Don't get dehydrated, drink plenty of water.
Do some light exercise, perhaps some yoga.
If the urge to click your neck persists, get treatment from an osteopath to help restore proper coordination of the spine and relieve strained areas.
Hope that helps!
Hi Phillipa
I would go and get your neck checked out by a good cranial osteopath (they can work much more gently than normall osteopath).
Just a word of advice on the swim, dont do length after length with your head held high out of the water, breathe alternate strokes whilst staying flat in the water. Most people love swimming but it's harmfull to the neck when not done correctly.
In the gym the Lat pull down bar should stay in front of you, do not pull the bar down behind your head. = neck probs.
It does no harm cracking the neck occasionally but doing it day after day can cause problems later on.
As mentioned in a previous post, there is probably little harm in the occasional readjustment to relieve tension, as long as the movements are gentle. Fast adjustments with incorrect alignments have been associated with subsequent strokes, probably due to damage to an artery that ascends up to the brain via a series of holes in the cervical vertebrae. Often the tension arises from long muscles that connect the neck to the shoulders- get some advice on how to stretch these safely and effectively before spending hundreds of pounds on treatments that may not help. 🙂
Risk of stroke appears in the literature on chiropractors, not osteopaths, and even then there's so little evidence that it could easily be statistical noise. You're far more likely to suffer a brain haemorrhage or perforated gut taking nurofen. So the stroke risk is as far as I am concerned, theoretical only.
The point about self-manipulation is it is random, it is usually the segments that need it least that make the pop, and with no regard for good patterning or need of treatment. Getting a professional treatment makes sure that the adjustment is correct and not just random cracking, and you have a qualified practitioner who can do the necessary safety screening.
All that said, manipulation is just one tool of many, treatment need neither be frightening or uncomfortable, and all osteopaths are capable of being gentle, not just cranial. Cranial refers to certain methods that happen to be gentle, the effect on the system can be every bit as powerful though as any other method.
Hi Philip
I had exactly the same problem. It was resolved by seeing an osteopath to work with the tense muscles in my neck and shoulders. I was given simple stretches to do in the workplace (most of them whilst seated) and shown ways to self-adjust my seating posture. I also had an appraisal by Occupational Health, who helped me adjust my monitor and chair heights.
A friend of mine had similar good results with the Alexander Technique - but not every city/town has Alexander Technique practitioners.
Ava x