Adjusting the cervical spine
In the case of shifted or blocked vertebral joints in the cervical spine, no attempt should be made to correct the malposition on your own. This can be very dangerous, since important vessels in the neck area close to the vertebrae run towards the brain. In the worst case, incorrect movements can lead to injury to these vessels.
Bleeding is the result. Bleeding can also potentially trigger a stroke if the brain is no longer supplied with sufficient blood in places due to injury to an incoming vessel. However, there is no scientifically proven connection between the dislocation and the occurrence of strokes.
Nevertheless, a specialist (chiropractor) should definitely be consulted if the cervical spine is blocked.This can optimally align the joint surfaces to each other and restore the correct position by a short, rapid impulse on the joint. This method is called “manipulation”. The better the practitioner masters this technique, the less force he or she has to apply and the lower the probability of nerves, vessels or ligament structures being injured.
Chirotherapy does not speak of “settling”. This is merely a layman’s term, since it does not actually involve a dislocated vertebra, but merely blocks small vertebral joints. The cracking, which is often audible when the blockade is released, is caused by the joint surfaces being pulled apart.
It is important that an assessable x-ray image is taken before manipulation of blocked spinal joints. Only in this way can the therapist exclude serious illnesses such as tumors of the spine, for which the manipulation must not be performed under any circumstances. Under certain circumstances, this could cause serious complications. Only when such serious causes for the complaints have been ruled out may the manipulation be performed.
Crunching cervical spine
Crunching noises of the cervical spine can have various causes. To a certain extent, crunching noises are normal when turning the head because the small vertebral joints located between the individual cervical vertebrae are shifted against each other in the process. This can lead to such noises.
If it is more of a sand-like rubbing, it can also be a sign of wear and tear of the cervical spine. If the cervical vertebrae are stressed too much due to incorrect posture or excessive strain, this can lead to cartilage abrasion on the joint surfaces in the long term and subsequently to bony damage. Abrasion of cartilage pieces or bone protrusions can then cause a crunching sound when the head is rotated.
A medical clarification of the symptoms can therefore be very useful. In such a case, targeted physiotherapeutic training is recommended to strengthen the neck muscles. This can then better stabilize the cervical spine and prevent further damage.
