Q:

I have a habit of cracking my neck a few times throughout the day. It's not like a violent motion, I just tilt my head to the side.

Recently when I cracked my neck, I had a sudden tingling sensation down both my arms. It wasn't painful, it was just surprising. When I googled what might have happened, I read that cracking your neck could cause a stroke.

Is this true? I can remember times when I felt slightly lightheaded after cracking my neck as well... could I have damaged an artery or something?

 

A:

It is very unlikely your symptoms were due to a vascular cause like pinching an artery particularly because your tingling was on both sides. It is more likely you twisted in such a way that you caused a pinch in nerve roots in your cervical spine --hard to get both sides at once though. "Cracking" your neck is actually stretching the ligaments holding your vertebral bodies in alignment which can cause a snapping sensation. That is unlikely to cause damage, but if you are having to do it frequently to keep your neck comfortable, it may be helpful to be assessed, with consideration given to physical therapy for strengthening of your paravertebral muscles, so your neck is stronger and less likely to need to be "cracked" repeatedly.

~The Doc