Does Cracking Your Neck Affect Your Back?
Man Cracking Neck
Where does neck pain stop and back pain begin? The two kinds of discomfort might even feel related at times. Here, we are going to explore whether neck pain affects back pain and vice-versa. We will also take a look at best practices to avoid suffering from neck or back pain later in your life.
Common causes of neck and back pain
To better understand the relationship between the upper back and neck pain, we need to take a closer look at the muscles that connect these two areas. The neck contains a few key muscular structures that work to support the upper back too:
- The levator scapulae attach to four cervical vertebrae (C1 to C4) and join the neck to the shoulder blades. If this muscle is healthy, it helps people to rotate their heads and lift their shoulder blades without experiencing any pain.
- The trapezius is a commonly-recognized muscle that extends all the way from the base of the skull to the mid-back. Also in use when extending the head or lifting the shoulder blade, this muscle spans a large surface area of the neck and upper back.
- Deep cervical flexors are responsible for allowing forward movement of the head and stabilizing the spine.
Simply put, damaging or otherwise straining any of the cervical muscles will likely lead to neck pain. Muscular stress is the leading cause of neck pain, but other common causes include cervical osteoarthritis (friction in neck joints) or damage to the cervical spinal disc.
A similar theory applies to chronic back pain, which often arises as a result of muscular injuries. Specifically, these injuries often occur as muscle fibers get stretched too far and tear. This could come about from sitting with poor posture, hunching over a laptop or bending down to look at a mobile phone for too long.
As well as longer-term issues like poor posture, neck and back muscles can also become torn in sudden events like heavy lifting. If a person attempts to lift something too heavy for them to handle or engages in a repetitive motion, this could also lead to neck or back pain.
Common contributions to back pain include:
- Degeneration of the lumbar disk through strain, herniation, or general wear-and-tear.
- Isthmic spondylolisthesis occurs when vertebrae slip and take up positions that they are not supposed to. This strains the discs and joints, leading to stiffness and back pain.
The conditions that cause chronic neck and back pain tend to be quite similar, involving arthritis and muscle, joint, or disc damage. Poor posture is a common denominator across the two conditions, as are sudden movements that put your muscles at risk.
There are also several other risk factors that contribute to the onset of neck and back pain. Discomfort in these two areas is heavily connected to smoking and obesity.
Smoking cigarettes has been shown to reduce calcium absorption, making for brittle bones that are more susceptible to fractures that cause back pain.
Similarly, obesity can force the neck to take up more unnatural positions which leads to strains throughout the spinal cord.
Ways to avoid neck and back pain
In our busy lives, it can be difficult to place focus on posture and eliminate the chances of developing neck or back stiffness. However, if you remember just a few of these points then you will be putting yourself on the road to long term health:
- Since heavy lifting is one of the leading causes of back pain, ensure that you use the correct technique when lifting something. Bend your knees, keep your back straight and slowly lift the object. This will reduce the chances of straining any muscles in your back.
- Sit up when using a computer and avoid the temptation to hunch over the keyboard.
- Stand with your head held high – it does wonders for your neck, back, and your confidence!
- Regular exercise helps to keep your neck and back muscles properly trained. You can even search for specific exercises that involve your back.
- Vitamin D and calcium are two crucial nutrients for your bones and joints. Ensure your diet allows you plenty, or take supplements as required.
- Avoid smoking and maintain a healthy weight to minimize your risk of developing aches and pains in your neck or back.
Can cracking your neck be beneficial?
So it’s already too late – you can feel some nasty stiffness coming on in your neck and upper back. What can you do to relieve the pain?
A word on cracking your neck. Despite conventional wisdom, safely cracking your neck can be beneficial if it helps to keep you feeling supple. Joints in your neck contain fluids that sometimes put pressure on the joint, causing potential discomfort. The cracking sound you hear when manipulating your neck is the sound of this liquid being released and transforming into a gas.
If you feel better after cracking your neck occasionally, there is no reason you should stop doing it. Although, be aware that a placebo effect is often in action. There is little evidence that cracking your neck does much to relieve long term pain, but the satisfaction and endorphins experienced when cracking the neck does lead to short term relief.
Take care if you feel pain when cracking your neck. You need to apply the correct technique, otherwise, you could be setting yourself up for swelling and further pain. It is possible that doing this incorrectly can result in back pain as you potentially damage spinal tissue.
Consider consulting a chiropractor if you are concerned about any aspect of cracking your neck to relieve neck pain.
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Jack Vale is a writer for Stethoscope.com, one of the leading stethoscope distributors.