Can you solve? Neck/Back issue

Hey everybody.

I have this really annoying neck issue.

When i shrug on my right side, it cracks. It generally doesn't hurt when i do it, but if i also rotate my shoulder in a circular motion while i shrug, it will sometimes hurt a little bit. Also, I feel a constant need to shrug on both sides, almost every minute, sometimes more often. On my right side, if i perform a full shrug (full range of motion, no rotation), i feel 2 cracks. I also feel the need to rotate my neck alot. If I bend my neck sharply and slowly to the right, I sometimes feel a big crack.

Once i was sitting a job interview, and obviously I tried very hard not to be shrugging and rotating my head, when i finally stepped out of the interview, I shrugged on my left side, i felt a very big crack and it was painful to shrug. From memory that one big crack I felt, felt more like alot of smaller ones as I was shrugging. However, it felt very liberating to have actually cracked it after spending so long trying to not crack it. Probably because it felt loose again when i had finally shrugged.

My background is that I did tae kwon do for about 5 years, do intense 'cardio' 4-5 times a week, and lift weights at the gym also. I don't take any joint supplements, but i do take fish oil and whey protein once a day.

The constant need to crack is very annoying, and very noticable to other people. Whats wrong with me?

Sounds like the crack is probably coming from you scapula (shoulder blade) rubbing on/over underlying tissues. This is very common and not a real issue unless you continue you do it for fun, in which case it will become painful.

As to what structures this might be? Well this could include the first rib, subscapularis, levator scapulae etc. It could also be the acromioclavicular joint if the crack/click is where the collar bone joins the shoulder blade. Basically the connections to the neck and shoulder blade. Often this is made worse with a tight thoracic spine (rib cage) and poor muscular development of the back muscles - rhomboids and lower part of trapezius. This is difficult to resolve fully and often this takes a long, long time. Some people are just born/develop that way.

Best bet is to book in with a good manual therapist for an assessment and diagnosis. If dance is your thing then a rehab program with someone interested in sports biomechanics would seem appropriate.