The Dangers of Self-Adjusting Your Neck and Effective Self-Care Strategies

This podcast episode, hosted by Dr. Ekberg, critically examines the common practice of self-adjusting one's own neck. The core argument is that aggressively yanking and twisting the neck to achieve a 'pop' is a detrimental practice. This method lacks precision and specificity, often leading to the adjustment of healthy, mobile joints above and below a truly stuck segment. While the 'pop' provides temporary relief, it ultimately creates hypermobility in the already mobile segments and exacerbates the stiffness in the problematic, tight segment, making the underlying issue worse over time.

The episode distinguishes this harmful practice from natural body movements and gentle stretching. It clarifies that if a pop occurs naturally during careful stretching or general movement, it's typically the body's self-regulating and self-correcting mechanism and is not a cause for concern. However, any intentional pulling or yanking to force a cavitation is strongly discouraged. Dr. Ekberg emphasizes the importance of seeking professional chiropractic care for specific, precise adjustments that target only the segments needing movement, thereby restoring proper function without causing secondary issues.

For individuals seeking to support their spinal health between professional adjustments or to alleviate stiffness, particularly during prolonged sitting or travel, a practical self-care technique is introduced. This method involves combining targeted rubbing of a tight or tender spot with active movement (e.g., bending, turning, hip circles). The rationale is that this combination enhances proprioception—the body's sense of its position and movement—by sending increased signals from both the rubbing and the motion to the brain. This additional information helps the brain better understand and regulate the area, providing relief and support without the risks associated with forceful self-adjustment.

The broader implication of this discussion extends beyond immediate pain relief to a more holistic understanding of body mechanics and optimal health. Dr. Ekberg stresses that the goal is not merely to alleviate symptoms but to restore the body to its normal, functional state. By understanding how the body truly works and implementing appropriate self-care and professional interventions, individuals can achieve lasting relief and maintain optimal health, preventing stiffness and discomfort, especially in situations like long-distance travel.

It is typically a really bad idea to adjust your own neck

what's wrong with that is that it's an adjustment that has very very poor precision is very very unspecific

you're adjusting the wrong joint and over time so it feels good because you get that pop but in the long run it gets worse because you're creating hypermobility above and below and that tight move that tight segment is getting more stuck than ever

I would recommend you find a chiropractor who can adjust specifically and move the segment that needs to move.

if you're stretching and you kind of move your neck carefully and you give yourself a little stretch and it pops a little bit that's not a big deal that's just your body self regulating self-correcting

if you start pulling and yanking and trying to get the pop then that's not a good idea

you're combining the proprioception the incoming signals from the point of rubbing you're adding to that the signals from the motion so now you're giving the brain more information about that area

it's not about pain it's about how the body works how do we restore the body to normal so that symptoms go away and we can enjoy optimal health