Is it good for you, bad for you, or neither ?
I have heard that it loosens calcium deposits along the vertebrae and is hence good. Is this a myth ? Am I doing something I should quit ?
“No one cares how pretty the souffle is if the appetizer is turds-in-a-blanket.” Bill McNeil, NewsRadio
Uncle Cecil covered this general topic twice in <i>More of the Straight Dope</i>: Is “cracking your back” to relieve backache a good idea? and What’s actually cracking when you crack your knuckles?.
From what he says in these columns, I’d guess that cracking your neck doesn’t have any particular longterm benefits, but, unless you are being so aggressive as to risk decapitation, it normally isn’t causing any harm, either.
I’ve noticed that joints I’ve injured tend to crack a lot. They’ll kind lock up until I force them past the cracking point again. Then they’ll feel fine. Since every educated person I’ve herd mention it say it’s harmless, I don’t worry much. Except that now my next and upper back do it, which is very worrisome (never injured those). It does seem to be some kind of pressure near the spine that is alleviated by the stretching I do to crack them. Sicks people out to ear the LOUD crack my neck makes when I do it though… I once pretended to hang myself, complete with convincing pop.
http://www.madpoet.com
“I never meant to hurt you,” you said,
And buried yourself in lies instead.
Next time I would rather be slain,
Than forced to bear your mercy again.
Cracking your OWN neck is probably harmless, but DO NOT attempt it on another. One morning co-worker came into our office, complaining of a stiff neck. Stupidly, I went up behind her unannounced and cracked her neck (I’d sailed the ports of Asia as a younger man, so the procedure was familiar to me). Her neck felt much better, but overall she felt like someone who’d been pulled back from stepping into an empty elevator shaft. There is a dangerously subtle difference between CRACKING someone’s neck and BREAKING it (ala "Henry, Portait of a Serial Killer’) that I won’t spell out here (Avenue-B-dude may be lurking). Better you should simply knead the shoulder muscles of the other person, and slowly break up their lactic acid build-up; not suddenly cavitate the spaces in their joints. That way, hopefully they’ll just be a victim of a seduction, not a manslaughter.
Your deep sea diving suit is ready, me brave lad.