ARE you one of those people who likes to ‘crack’ your neck?
For many, the idea alone is enough to send shivers down their spine.
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But some find relief in the occasional neck pop.
One doctor, has taken to TikTok to explain to his followers why they should give up the dangerous habit.
To illustrate his point, Dr Ever Arias, known online for debunking viral medical trends and offering health advice, shared the story of a 20-year-old woman who had visited the hospital after cracking her neck twice, hearing a snap and having “a lot of pain”.
He said: “She walked into the emergency room after being seen and getting scanned.
“We found that she had a cervical compression fracture.”
The doctor explained: “Basically she was found to have a diagnosis of hypermobility syndrome and because of that she was very mobile.
“What happened is that she ended up flexing her neck a little bit too much and started having the compression fracture.”
A cervical compression fracture is when one or more of the bones in your back break.
These sorts of fractures usually appear in people over 50 and they’re commonly caused by osteoporosis, a condition which weakens bones.
But this particular patient was suffering from a hypermobility syndrome, meaning her joints were exceptionally flexible.
Those with hypermobility issues are more at risk to fractures than most.
According to the NHS, most cases can be treated by wearing a neck brace for three months while the bones recover.
The doctor said that various problems could arise with neck cracking.
He explained: “It’s important to understand that if you crack your neck if you got to the chiropractor there’s a couple situations that you could put yourself in.”
He added: “Sometimes people come in with strokes and they had a chiropractor manipulate their neck and they ended up having a vertebral artery dissection that caused them to have a stroke.
“You could also cause your own vertebral artery dissection or other injuries to vessels in the structure of the neck.”
According to healthline, cracking your neck gently or only cracking it occasionally won’t cause you any harm.
“But doing it incorrectly, too frequently, or too forcefully can actually cause more pain or discomfort,” it stated.