It feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting it cracked?

Question

Dr. Gabrielle Manto, DC · Answer

It feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting it cracked? So firstly, the adjustment is not cracking your bones. The sound that can be associated with the adjustment is just gas escaping the joint as if you were to crack your fingers. Listen, you have to communicate with your chiropractor and your chiropractor should be communicating to you why they are using the technique that you're using. And then also my personal philosophy is that if you're already gonna be stressed out or nervous about the adjustment, maybe taking a step back and using a different technique, easing your way up to a more manual adjustment, but it ultimately comes down to the communication that you have between your chiropractor and yourself. So if this is something that you are truly nervous about and you're not seeing any benefit from, I would just have an open discussion to your chiropractor explaining like, hey, this is how I feel. Is there any way that we can change techniques? So there are tons of techniques within the chiropractic profession that can give the same result, if not a very close result to a manual adjustment. So I would 100%, you know, again, have that conversation with your chiropractor. I would not be scared and nervous about getting your neck cracked, but then again, I am a chiropractor. So again, going back to that communication piece to make sure that you are feeling comfortable and confident and getting results that you deserve.

Nicky Kirk, DC, MS · Answer

Every medical procedure should go through a process of informed consent. Your clinician should explain to you what to expect, what the benefits of having this particular procedure done are, and what the realistic risks could be to you based upon your age, gender, background, and presentation. If there's any doubt at all, they should be sending out for further diagnostic tests including imaging, or indeed referring you to another specialist. So if a chiropractor or any health care professional has deemed that you are clear to have this procedure done, then it's a question of preference. Can you tolerate the procedure which they're attempting to do? If so, it's very safe and effective. If not, there are a number of different things which they can try to achieve a similar effect.

Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC · Answer

It feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting it cracked? So we like to use the word adjusted or manipulation. Yeah, it is really weird. I describe the neck adjustment to a lot of my smaller patients and even some people who are a little nervous about it as like a sneeze. I'm like this is a weird feeling. It's only going to last a second and when it's done you're going to have a big sense of relief and calm. So the neck adjustment is just the same exact thing physiologically as a knuckle cracking or popping. So it's safe and it's just air and gas trapped in the joint being released in a very methodical way. It's a high velocity, low amplitude thrust. It is very fast but very small movement and when done correctly it is incredibly safe. So I think the most important thing is that you trust your chiropractor. Sometimes it's like learning a dance together and if you've got a partner that is out of sync with the other partner the dance isn't going to go very well. So with a chiropractor it's the same thing. You have to feel trust in your chiropractor. You have to understand the reason they're doing it. Have they explained the reason that you need a neck adjustment? And from there the absolute best thing you can do is stay super relaxed during the adjustment because if you're not relaxed it's not going to work.

Dr. Sean Burkhardt,DC,FIBFN-FN,CCSP,CFMP,CSCS,CSPS,TSAC-F,PES,CES · Answer

What's up everyone? Dr. Sean here and I have a question today that reads, it feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting my neck cracked? I'll be honest when I read this I chuckled a little bit and I was like I would be nervous if I read that about getting my neck cracked. So let's switch cracked for adjusted. So what I would tell people is one, you know regular hands-on adjustments are definitely not for everyone. Some people enjoy them, some people dislike them, maybe it's the noise, maybe they're worried about what could happen if it was done incorrectly. Generally speaking this adjustment is very very safe but what you should do is speak with the practitioner whether that's a chiropractor, a DO, or a PT. Whomever is deciding to do this to make sure it's what you need because joints should have mobility. That's how we can tip our head, nod our head, and turn but tissue should also have extensibility or flexibility. So I think when you go through an exam and we're able to articulate to you why we need to do what we need to do that will help you feel more comfortable. Now not all adjustments have to be hands-on where you get this actual pop. There are different soft tissue techniques, there are different mobilizations, the end goal should be to improve your function. Now we as the doctor should always make sure we go over all the risks and contraindications to make sure you're a candidate for it but generally speaking it's a very very safe maneuver but we have to make sure it's right for you first. If for some reason you dislike that type of adjustment like I said there are other ways. The end goal should just be improving the dysfunction that you have or helping your symptoms that you're coming in with.

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"It feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting it cracked?"