The pop is gas inside a joint, not bones grinding. An occasional painless crack is usually just noise. What matters more is what comes with it: pain, dizziness, numbness or a new headache are reasons to get your neck examined, and a few signs mean calling 911. Below: what the research says, including about rare tears in the arteries of the neck, and what a neck exam at The Shift involves. Same-day appointments are often available — a doctor is in the office six days a week.
Sources: MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Stroke, Stroke warning signs and Neck pain. Sudden neck pain or headache can also be an early sign of a tear in a neck artery (American Heart Association, 2014); see below.
The small joints of your neck, like your knuckles, sit inside a capsule of fluid. When the joint surfaces separate quickly, a small gas-filled cavity forms in that fluid, and that’s the pop. A 2015 study filmed this with real-time MRI in finger joints and saw the cavity form at the moment of the crack. The neck works the same way, though that study looked at knuckles.
Why does my neck crack when I turn my head? Usually one of two things: gas shifting inside a joint, or a tendon sliding over a bump of bone, which can click every time you move. If it’s painless, it’s usually just noise.
We couldn’t find a study of people who crack their own necks, so we can’t tell you it’s harmful or that it’s harmless. Here’s what we see in practice: when you twist your own neck, the joints that already move easily are the ones that move, and the stiff spot that made you want to crack it usually stays stiff. That’s why the urge comes back. If you’re cracking your neck many times a day, find out what isn’t moving rather than cracking it harder. The same idea applies to your back: is cracking your own back bad?
A cervical artery dissection is a tear in the wall of one of the arteries in the neck. It can lead to a stroke. It is rare: in a population study of Ontario covering more than 100 million person-years, there were 818 strokes of the type linked to the vertebral arteries in the back of the neck (Cassidy and colleagues, 2008).
Is there a link with neck manipulation? There is a statistical association. In that Ontario study, people under 45 who had this kind of stroke were about three times as likely to have seen a chiropractor in the days before, and about three times as likely to have seen a family doctor. The authors’ reading is that a tear already under way causes neck pain or headache, and people seek care for it before the stroke. A 2023 U.S. study of insurance claims described the overall risk as very low (Whedon and colleagues, 2023).
Does manipulation cause the tears? That isn’t settled. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association reviewed the evidence in 2014. They said the association exists, that it’s unclear whether it reflects a tear that was already there or injury from the manipulation, and that the biomechanical evidence is insufficient to show manipulation causes it. They advise that patients be told about the association before neck manipulation (Biller and colleagues, 2014).
What this means for you. New, sudden neck pain or headache, especially with dizziness, vision changes or numbness, is a reason to see a physician first. If you’d rather not have your neck adjusted, say so: low-force options and soft-tissue work are available, and nothing happens without your agreement.
History. When your neck cracks or hurts, what you do all day, how you sleep, and any headaches, dizziness, numbness or jaw trouble.
Exam. A neurological screening, how each segment of your neck and upper back moves, which spots are stiff and which are doing extra work, and your shoulders and jaw. If anything points away from a joint or muscle problem, we tell you and refer you to a physician.
Report of findings. What we found, in plain language, and the total cost of any plan in writing before you agree to anything.
Both doctors see neck visits. Dr. Ben Glass is in Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, in English and Spanish. Dr. Irina Velichko is in Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in English and Russian. Which doctor should I see? More on neck pain care, tech neck for desk workers and how to sleep if your neck hurts.
An occasional painless crack is usually just noise: gas in the joint. We couldn’t find a study of people who crack their own necks, so we can’t say it’s harmful or harmless. If you’re cracking it many times a day, or it comes with pain, dizziness, numbness or headaches, get it examined.
Gas in the joint. The small joints of your neck sit in a capsule of fluid, and when the joint surfaces separate quickly, a small gas-filled cavity forms in that fluid. That’s the sound. It isn’t bones grinding.
Usually one of two things: gas shifting inside a joint, or a tendon sliding over a bump of bone, which can click every time you move. If it’s painless, it’s usually just noise. If it comes with pain, dizziness, numbness or headaches, get it examined.
Strokes from a tear in a neck artery are rare. Studies find a statistical link between these strokes and visits to both chiropractors and family doctors, likely because a tear already under way causes neck pain or headache that people seek care for. Whether neck manipulation itself causes tears isn’t settled. Sudden, severe neck pain or headache, especially with dizziness, vision changes, numbness or trouble speaking, means calling 911.
If cracking comes with pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in an arm or hand, if the pain wakes you at night, if it hasn’t eased after a week, or if you feel the need to crack it many times a day. For the emergency signs above, call 911.
As of October 2026, a first visit is $135. It includes the exam, your first adjustment and a follow-up report-of-findings visit; an adjustment at that follow-up visit is billed separately. Visits after that are $60–$80, depending on whether you’re on a care plan or paying per visit. Confirm current prices when you book.
Same-day appointments are often available — a doctor is in the office six days a week. 435 8th Street #203, at 8th and Broadway.
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