Why does my neck pop and crack so much

Crepitus is considered harmless, and studies have not shown any evidence that it can cause joint damage or raise risk for arthritis. A surefire sign that a neck crack is the result of crepitus is to repeat the movement that caused it and see if it occurs again. If not, the crack was probably crepitus—it takes about 20 minutes for the gas bubbles to reform. In addition to gas bubbles, popping or grinding in the neck can also be caused by dysfunction or damage in a cervical joint.

This damage may be caused by an acute injury or by degeneration over years of wear and tear osteoarthritis. See Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease. If you experience any of these types of neck cracking, make an appointment with your doctor so your symptoms can be properly diagnosed. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What It Is. Crepitus in Your Joints and Lungs. Recap Grinding in joints may be from cartilage wearing away. Popping and cracking are related to gas bubbles that form in small cavities inside the joints.

When to Get Medical Help Excessive neck cracking, popping, or grinding may indicate a serious problem. See a healthcare provider if you have: Neck cracks with every movement Significant pain or swelling A recent neck injury. Recap Neck crepitus is caused by joint damage or arthritis in the neck joints. Causes and Treatments of Neck Pain.

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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. What Is Early-Onset Osteoarthritis? Joint Manipulation in Chiropractic and Physical Therapy. Are Cracking Toes a Sign of Arthritis? Wrist Popping and Cracking: Causes.

Understanding the Function of Human Joints. Cervicalgia Symptoms and Treatment. When Popping Joints Are a Problem. Collarbone Popping? Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. Ligament or tendon movement. When tendons and ligaments move over bone, they can make a snapping sound that is heard when you move your joints.

Bone grinding. If the cartilage in the joints has worn down enough, the grinding or cracking sound you hear may be due to the bones grinding against each other. If your crepitus neck is accompanied by any of the following factors, you should seek the advice of your doctor as it may be indicative of a more serious issue.

This may indicate the presence of inflammation and osteoarthritis. Recent injury. If your crepitus occurs after a recent accident of injury, it may mean that there has been damage to the structure of you neck. Frequent or constant.

Recent surgery. After surgery on the cervical spine, crepitus may occur weeks later.