XMAS Cracker needed- for my neck

who would i see to crack my neck?

Ive had it done before but cant find the people again,and the docs/physios/chiropractors ive asked wont do it. Is it illegal now?

It makes a big difference to my daily life, and yes, im aware of the dangers

So where do i look? Doctors, physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, reiki people, or just rain a mate to do it?

Im cambs/northants way

Do NOT do it.  There is zero evidence base for it doing any good and a significant number of folk that have been made worse up to and including stroke and paralysis.  folk have moved away from because of the evidence base

3 times ive had it done, and each time it was instant relief. I know how good it is for me

Life gets really uncomfortable and painful when things are not aligned

you wouldnt go around with a dislocated shoulder, etc, etc

So where do i look? Doctors, physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, reiki people, or just rain a mate to do it?

The first two in that list are medical professionals. The rest are quacks at best.

3 times ive had it done, and each time it was instant relief

Yeah, but for how long before it came back?

I had upper back / shoulder / neck pain for years, decades even. The only thing which alleviated it was rock climbing, stretching everything out. When I moved house I treated myself to a new office chair, I’ve been pain-free for about 4 years.

Treat the cause, not the symptoms.

its better until i fall off and knock it back out of joint

so if i stay on the  bike, and dont trip over, get knocked over etc, its probably good forever. Whereas now, its probably bad forever

knock it back out of joint

If you actually did this you would be in line for serious surgery with a high chance of paralysis.  completely impossible to knock your spine “out of joint” without major damage which cannot be rectified by a charlatan making the ligaments click.  They are not making bones snap back into place.

thanks very much tj for yr advice.

if anyone will answer my question it would really be appreciated

if anyone will answer my question it would really be appreciated

Two posters already have. In case you missed it: go to your GP and seek professional advice. Does the fact that no-one will do what you request not tell you anything?

Are you waiting for an answer which aligns with what you already believe? You’ve probably come to the wrong place if so.

Personally I find more relief from a sports/deep tissue massage. Comes with the added bonus of zero risk.

A friend who surfed for 30 odd yrs used to crack his neck and have people stand on his back

**** regrets that big time nowadays

I ‘cracked’ my neck thanks to a botched jump at the local bike park. Ruptured carotid artery and mini stroke as a result. Comments from the guys at emergency was that they usually see this sort of injury as a result of chiropractic manipulation of the neck or interestingly enough – as a result of people getting their hair washed at the hairdressers. Don’t let anyone near your neck.

Two posters already have. In case you missed it: go to your GP and seek professional advice. Does the fact that no-one will do what you request not tell you anything?

Are you waiting for an answer which aligns with what you already believe? You’ve probably come to the wrong place if so.

I have consulted at least 3 doctors who’s advice was little more than rest or stretches. One nhs physio cracked my neck, which put the vertebrae  back in place, but i have moved house since then.

its not my beliefs that are wrong. i know what i say. i know what works for myself. why do you comment when you completely miss the point? 2 posters out of how many members? are you the boss of the forum?

 as a result of people getting their hair washed at the hairdresser

theres no danger of that happenin!

which put the vertebrae back in place

Which is medically impossible.  Your vertebrae cannot dislocate without serious damage to the spinal column and the crack is not the bones going back into place.  this is very basic anatomy.

so yes – your beliefs are wrong.

its not my beliefs that are wrong.

So you believe.

i know what i say. i know what works for myself.

Except it doesn’t work, does it. If it did, you wouldn’t be here asking about it.

why do you comment when you completely miss the point? 2 posters out of how many members?

Five now and counting, at least one of whom is an actual (retired) medical professional. Plus of course, there’s the three separate doctors that you’ve consulted. How many more people do you need?

The cracks you hear is air escaping from fluid, it sounds loud because your neck and your ears are pretty close together and your skull is a great sound conductor. There is no ‘aligning’ going on and any relief you feel will be temporary. If what you were describe was true then you’d likely be in a wheelchair; carry on down this route against all medical advice with some quack bone-crack horseshit peddler and I wouldn’t rule it out completely in the future.

are you the boss of the forum?

It wouldn’t make a difference if I was.

i believe because i know for a fact, that when its done properly, its back to where it should be. and if i fall on it again and it happens again, similar to whiplash, it’ll need doing again

i also know for a fact the diagnosis, seen the xrays, had the process explained to me by an nhs doctor, and watched various videos on the subject,

have you heard of alternative medicine? alternative to th nhs? does the nhs always do the best thing immediately?

and ranitidine- an excellent medicine for sufferers- no longer availabl-why? because one person got some complications?

are you part of the nanny state?

you better not try riding bicycles then!

I just want to point out this is not my area of medical expertise and I am not claiming it is.  On this I am just an informed layperson

i believe because i know for a fact, that when its done properly, its back to where it should be.

It was never where it shouldn’t be.  again this is simply not possible.  Nor have you seen it on an xray.  You have been conned by charlatans

i also know for a fact the diagnosis, seen the xrays, had the process explained to me by an nhs doctor, and watched various videos on the subject,

So why are they now refusing your request?

have you heard of alternative medicine?

Yes. There is no such thing. There is medicine and there is not-medicine. “Alternative” medicine is attractive-sounding – and highly lucrative – bollocks.

and ranitidine- an excellent medicine for sufferers- no longer availabl-why? because one person got some complications?

Ranitidine has been withdrawn globally because it was a heartburn treatment which was causing cancer. I know which I’d rather have. You’re not making the point you think you are here I’m afraid, rather the opposite.

are you part of the nanny state?

Seriously?

I always make sure I precede vigorous neck cracking with a couple of months of keto. And I make sure to wear a helmet during the procedure, you’d be mad not to.

“Ranitidine has been withdrawn because it was a heartburn treatment which was causing cancer. I know which I’d rather have. You’re not making the point you think you are here I’m afraid, rather the opposite.”

isnt it more of an increased risk of cancer? youve never had persistent heartburn. its a risk id take

“It was never where it shouldn’t be.  again this is simply not possible.  Nor have you seen it on an xray.  You have been conned by charlatans”

c1 c2 vertebra aligned – Google Search

are you another conspiracy theorist?

“So why are they now refusing your request?”

passing it off as arthritis=wont xray again – I dont know, Im not a doctor

isnt it more of an increased risk of cancer? youve never had persistent heartburn. its a risk id take

It was something like a 25% increased risk IIRC. Whatever the exact figure, it was significant.

How do you know what I have and haven’t had? I take Omeprazole daily for silent reflux, if I don’t it feels like I’ve swallowed a lump of hot coal.

passing it off as arthritis=wont xray again

So, diagnosing it as arthritis then?

Look. You don’t believe a succession of doctors. You don’t believe a number of complete strangers on the Internet some of whom are medically trained – I’m not but I’m the son of a pharmacist so I have a better handle on prescription drugs than many – so you do you. You clearly just want people to reinforce your nutty ideas and aren’t listening to any advice you don’t want to hear, and as I said before, you’re in the wrong place for that. I mean, Reiki for ****’s sake, I have a friend whose wife is a qualified Reiki practitioner so I can tell you all about that if you like, it’s actually quite interesting. But I have to go out now, I’ll get back to you this evening.

I dont know, Im not a doctor

Read that ninja edit back to yourself and have a think. I’ll talk with you later.

I take Omeprazole daily for silent reflux, if I don’t it feels like I’ve swallowed a lump of hot coal.

you know what im talking about then. i dont want cancer but if it happens its probably going to be from some other cause(like welding)

i have no idea what reiki is either

it was perfectly fine to crack necks 20 years ago, ten years ago, nothings changed as far as i know

still looking for answers, thinking outside the box

it was perfectly fine to crack necks 20 years ago, ten years ago, nothings changed as far as i know

No it wasn’t.  The dangers were known then

What has changed however is the evidence base against it has grown and the quacks have lost a series of court cases over their claims.

still looking for answers, thinking outside the box

My suggestion would be a deep tissue massage as what you have is likely to be muscle spasm but that is just a guess.  What it cannot be is any sort of dislocation of the vertibrae

It’s perfectly possible to have a misalignment of the neck vertebra, for a variety of reasons, instability, muscle weakness, injury, degeneration of the structures of the cervical spine etc. Obviously a dislocation in the true sense of the word would probably mean impingement on the spinal cord or other nerves so the symptoms would be far beyond just local pain or discomfort. But a lot of people have problems with bone or disc which can mean the vertebra don’t sit exactly where they should, and cause pain.

It’s possible that manipulation may offer temporary relief, hopefully not simply placebo, but the risks, while small, are potentially catastrophic, and I wouldn’t be relying on ‘evidence’ of safety from the chiropractic industry.

If OP has a problem which does not respond to safer stuff like physio, massage etc, then probably the only route is to try a more detailed scan to see if the degree of damage can be spotted – unfortunately I don’t know if there is any access to stuff like standing MRIs in the NHS.  And surgical interventions are pretty risky, and only really considered when there is evidence of dangerous impingement of the spinal cord.

At the end of the day, if OP is happy to accept the well-documented risks of chiropractic manipulation, he should be allowed to crack on, as it were. Whether chiros are any safer than just his mate doing it, is a good question.

martin – not in the sense of misalignment that the quacks use and not that the bone cracker can realign.  thats just not how the spine works.

Each to their own. I’m a working medical professional and wouldn’t let someone crack my neck no matter how much they paid me. Very well documented risk of catastrophic event.

The only person who will do it is a chiropractor if you want it done. Not something anyone would offer within the NHS

I mainly took from this that

– some people believe the world is flat

– some that it’s 6000 years old, absolutely tops

Even when explained why they’re not.

– and others known its 4 billion years old and a bit of a squashed sphere shaped.

Just mind the drop off the edge when you get there…

it was perfectly fine to crack necks 20 years ago, ten years ago

it was perfectly normal to undertake bloodletting about 100 years ago, don’t see that many back street clinics doing that any more though do we.

What a start to 2025.

PS. Don’t do it.

The OP should be able to “see” an NHS Physio directly (most likely first contact will be a phone or video call), without going via the GP. The physio should be able to advise the next course of action.

Private physio is also an option. I’ve found Nuffield physios to be excellent in the past. Both occasions they found the root cause of my issues. One was able to treat me to fix it. Another referred me onto the correct specialist.

My neck issue was solved with some (weird) muscle strengthening exercises.

At the risk of getting roasted…

TLDR-   I’ve been seeing a chiropractor several times over the last two months to relieve my neck pain. It’s worked.*

I managed to hurt my neck whilst doing a headstand in a yoga class: I managed to fall and over-extend my neck. After a couple of months of physio led exercise, it wasn’t improving. I spoke to a friend who recommended a chiropractor that he and other friends had visited and had great results.

With some trepidation I visited the recommended chiropractor (Cheadle). He had some reservations over treating me owing to my cancer treatment and possible bone weakening. He checked things out and I had a further 6 or 7 sessions with him where he manipulated my neck. My neck would feel a bit stiff after treatment but much improved within a day or so of treatment. My neck is now ok… about where it was before my fall.

I do have some reservations: Chiropractors call themselves “Doctors”. They are not! They have just done 4 years of training.  They try and get you to sign up for repeat visits. There is a risk of injury but it is very small (I read up before treatment).

IME, there are loads of “alternative” treatments that work but have little evidence base. There is much that hasn’t been researched, hasn’t been published, or never will be researched because there’s no financial incentive.

Hope the OP gets sorted. I’m not returning to this thread because I predict it’ll get nasty! 🙂

*Yes, I’m aware of placebo and also that things tend to get better over time anyway.

It’s possible that manipulation may offer temporary relief, hopefully not simply placebo, but the risks, while small, are potentially catastrophic, and I wouldn’t be relying on ‘evidence’ of safety from the chiropractic industry.

Six.

I’m a working medical professional and wouldn’t let someone crack my neck no matter how much they paid me. Very well documented risk of catastrophic event.

Seven.

PS. Don’t do it.

Eight.

1- carry on suffering-NO

2- do physio again that doesnt work-NO

3- waste my time trying to get in touch with an nhs doc again to be palmed off with the same story, if i ever get through on the phone-NO

The doc told me i couldnt get a mri scan or xray

It must be the fact that its worked 3times already, that i find most convincing

i have no idea what reiki is either

Allow me to share my experiences.

Reiki worked for me. Regular readers can sit back down again because there’s a whole degree of “but…” following this.

Reiki is essentially a massage only the practitioner never touches you, it’s a zero-contact therapy. Rather, the reiki-er waves their hands around you in some prescribed manner. Conclude from this what you will.

I was laid face-down on a massage table. There was mood lighting, gentle music, ‘aromatherapy’ candles on the go. Jane wafted her hands about the place. I was invited to talk, or not. I chose the latter.

After the session I was left to come round in my own time and rejoin my group of friends.

Did I feel better after? 100%. At that level, it was a successful treatment. But – BUT – really what had happened is that I’d been forced to shut off daily life for 20 minutes and lie there with my eyes closed listening to whale song and sniffing dewberry oil. The whole hand-flapping business was secondary.

This, really, is the underpinning of “alternative medicine” today. Western alternative medicine gained traction back when medicine included trepanning, the alternative was preferable because doing nothing was less likely to actually kill you. Homeopathy “works” because homeopaths don’t just dole out inert sugar pills, they sit and listen to you pap on for half an hour. Patients feel heard, understood, rather than conventional medicine’s approach of “yes it’s arthritis, here’s some exercises, next patient please.” And that’s powerful.

It won’t fix anything of course, but you’ll probably feel better for a little while.

It must be the fact that its worked 3times already, that i find most convincing

For at least the third time now: it worked for how long?

A successful treatment only needs to work the once.

Hope the OP gets sorted. I’m not returning to this thread because I predict it’ll get nasty! ?

I think it already has :

You clearly just want people to reinforce your nutty ideas and aren’t listening to any advice you don’t want to hear, and as I said before, you’re in the wrong place for that.

I certainly don’t get the impression that the OP wants any ideas reinforced or is asking for any advice at all.

Beyond requesting if anyone knows a good neck cracker in the cambs/northants district.

A successful treatment only needs to work the once.

You claim to take Omeprazole daily.

it was perfectly normal to undertake bloodletting about 100 years ago, don’t see that many back street clinics doing that any more though do we.

Still done today for certain conditions.

Leeches are also back in play though after a long period in the medical wilderness. Very good for the prevention of post-operative clotting, apparently. So give it a few years and trepanning will be back in vogue too.

You clearly just want people to reinforce your nutty ideas and aren’t listening to any advice you don’t want to hear, and as I said before, you’re in the wrong place for that.

youre the one thats trying to ban any narrative other than your own. is it your thread? is it your forum?

all in all youre just another brick in the wall

you’re just another brick in the wall

and what are you? As far as I can see you’re someone who believes what quacks tell them, then report it as fact as it suits you, with no regard for ACTUAL facts.

Suit yourself.