What is this strange clicking in my neck?

[daisymoo]

I have had this once before and it is back. I would describe it as a strange rhythmic clicking almost popping noise in the front of my neck. Has anyone ese experienced this, it's very annoying. I am treated for hypothyroidism

[ravenhex]

Are you 100% sure its the front of the neck making the noise?

Does your neck sound like gravels in it when you turn it slowly side to side?

Does your jaw click when you open and shut your mouth, move the jaw side to side etc?

When you swallow is the noise present too?

Have you any issues with your neck of head bones?

Is your thyroid swollen?

My thyroid when its spasming makes a pop and click as its pushing on my windpipe so the noise is it banging on my throat and windpipe. Also my sinus can pop as does my soft palate it also rustles like paper would sound.

My neck is noisy, cracking, popping, grinding, gravel noises due to spurs on every vertebrae causing the sounds as I move. When they catch and crack the noise can be quite loud.

Really funny when the top one pops as its louder than the rest, poor bloke behind me in a shop queue jumped when it popped. He thought I'd been shot.

[daisymoo in reply to ravenhex]

I have had ankylosing spondylitis since I was eighteen and know my creaks!! Like you have the amazing loud crack in the back of my neck and grinding from side movements of my head first thing in the morning. This is totally different it is coming from the thyroid area and is rhythmic almost like listening to rice crispies lol.

[Hidden in reply to daisymoo]

Hi Daisymoo, I too get this clicking, you describe it well... just like Rice Krispies popping! its a very gentle clicking. The occasions it has happened to me are when I've forgotten/late with my tablet(not too often). Therefore, put it down to my thyroid demanding/wanting more med. But, also sometimes get it when I'm on the computer and my necks down. Not had it for a long while though!

[Rychelle in reply to Hidden]

Exactly! Mine only happens when I'm using my phone on wi-fi! I move the phone further away and it goes away!

[ravenhex]

Thats the noise I was trying to think of.

My cartiliage and tendons where they are damaged make that noise when they move. My ortho said its the gas bubbles popping in them and he saw them bubbles appearing on the Ct scan when they went into my neck to nerve block the left arm junction nerve cluster. He said I looked like I was full of bubbles. . I have a bulged disk and as its pushed out between the vetebrae they can become, hence the crackling sound being made and my bubbles.

This one is weird, your ear drum can be the culprit as its sends the fluid to drain away down the throat, but if airs got in, hence the rice crispies sound. When the disk is pushed out or bulging causes dryness in the vertebrae, hence the crackling sound being mad

Luckily my friend just popped up online, who is more bubbly than me. Lol

Now she says this helped her diagnose the issue for her. Trigger Point by Claire Davies. Her culprit wasnt her thyroid, but was the muscle at the front of neck called Scalenes Muscle. Or as she refers to it the scallywag muscle.

This muscle pulls on your inner ear - so you can feel suddenly dizzy, earache, fluid build up in the ears or blocked fluid, glue ear etc. Also pulls on your eyes causing migraine attacks, or the feeling of something pushing behind your eyes. Can affect the eyes causing blurs, bright light flashes.

The muscle also pulls on your nose and can cause sinus issues, like the feeling of a cold blocked sinsus, sinus migraine, even to closing the sinus off blocking your nose completley or one side, typical left. This in turn can cause ear drum problems. It can also cause heart palpitations or the feeling of them as can it produce a rythmic sensation accompany the crackling or sometimes

As it pulls things out of order, it affects the bones, tendons and muscles everywhere else as a knock on effect, so a typical painful left arm, isnt tennis elbow even if the pain sems to come from the elbow, tennis elbow. Its the scalenes muscle affecting or causing referred pain.

Her whole body was affected, her head and neck were very out of alignment as was her back. As she said she felt twisted. Poor posture doesnt help as it can be in turn causing bulging discs and bone issues which are often thought to be spondy, oesti, arthritus, rhemu, and getting old arent its this muscle and when treated properly can revert the body back to its natural state and in alighment.

She got full Physio to unravel her and gained 5 inches in height. She uses this youtube link to daily keep her neck in top working order. As she said its easily put out again. Only do the exercises if you can or have been told you can. I cant until my GP says as my head catches and sticks when I rotate my head back. Dont want to end up stuck again.

youtube.com/watch?v=Vg4iSul...(Not working as expected?)

[Framboise in reply to ravenhex]

Hi, sorry to come in with a question but I also have the book by Claire Davies and I hadn't seen all that about the scalenes - I thought it was the sternocleidomastoid that had those effects! In me the scalenes make more sense than the scm and I must read it again. I know exactly what your friend means about feeling twisted. I don't know what area you're in but could you let me know the sort of physio treatments your friend had and, if possible where she got them, the sort of qualifications the person had? I haven't met anyone who understands what's going on in my neck or who can help much and I've been to physios, chiropractors, osteopaths, massage therapists etc....!

[Marz in reply to ravenhex]

Great video and a great exercise. Given to me by my Physio and we also do a yoga move that is similar ! We visualize lifting the skin on our scalps above the ears to attain perfect poise !!

[rubysjules in reply to ravenhex]

hi you are describing exactly my neck symptoms and i currently cant walk very well and am sing a walking aid as fell over from vertigo and balance. could you please tell me the exact book/physio this is from. thanks julie

[Framboise in reply to rubysjules]

Hi, The book I have and which I think ravenhex is talking about is called The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies (male), this is his site about the book:

triggerpointbook.com/

This is Amazon's page for it:

amazon.co.uk/Trigger-Point-...

This book by Bonnie Prudden is similar and also explains a lot:

amazon.co.uk/Pain-Erasure-B...

The explanations of the symptoms caused by trigger points in the main muscles is helpful, but doing the trigger point release oneself is difficult when it comes to neck muscles, or at least I've found it difficult.

[pankajmarwaha in reply to ravenhex]

I have same problem my doctor doesnt understand who would be right doctor for me a nerologist/ortho please suggest and what is this problem called ..so that i could tell my doctor and he should put me in right hands..i have an MRI in sept..i have exact problem

[merissa]

I have this also, neck back, front, hip, wrist spine, skull, it started just in the neck, it is quite scary sometimes. However it is crepitus, the cause can be low vitamin d, or misalignment spine or a surrounding structure, hence if your thyroid swells this will cause the clicking in the front of the neck. I had a untreated injury low vitamin d. The mastoid bone can also be effected. Hope this helps. Xx

[ravenhex]

This may help, it contains one of the exercises my friend does that her physio gave is mentioned in this article gustrength.com/muscles:scal....

It can be known as other names or misdiagnosed as such as Thoracic outlet syndrome TOS for short, Frozen shoulder, Fibromyalgia, even Carpal Tunnel Syndrome etc.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be used the same way "Fibromyalgia" is used as a general you've got this now go away its untreatable. Whereas it is treatable if the NHS paid their Drs to investigate throughtly and treat patients instead of labelling patients to get them out of the system as fast and cheaply as possible.

Her physiotherapist is a sport injury & rehabilitation therapist. Who uses various stretches, massages, deep tissue massage (hurts like hell) and movement exercises to the affected muscles and tendons. she did say the sports physiotherapists are more aware and knowledgeable of these things kind of issues.

Vitamin D is also a culprit and worth getting checked out, as is anaemia.

[ravenhex]

She also uses the article here when talking to Drs as some are clueless about this condition.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I must say I use the same articles as my own neck issues, and all the muscles and tendons are along the same lines too. My consultant has said it makes sense given the condition of my neck, tendons & muscles and the sudden onset of refereed pain formations specifically in key areas. My issues are that that kind of injury is normally seen in severe neck injuries and high speed impact road collisions whiplash. Something I have not had.

[ravenhex]

Another site is

triggerpointtherapist.com/b...

Several videos that show the type of exercises and deep tissue massages uses, all of which most physiotherapist, especially sports injuries should know. Below are helpful. My own physio does the Plantar Fasciltis on me, I hate it, but rather put up with the torture than the issue.

Trigger point explained with animation by Michael Akkerman

Deep Tissue Massage Tutorials by Erik Dalton,

Scalenes and Rib Pain

Deep tissue myofascial release for Anterior Scalenes

Deep Tissue Myofascial Release Plantar Fasciitis Treatment-

[ravenhex]

Sorry admins but some error prevented me from posting it as one message.

[pankajmarwaha]

I have same problem and i have to go for MRI in september my doctor have to no clue about what i am passing through..what should i do and who would be a right kind of doctor for me a nerologist /othro/chiroprator..i have no clue..what should i tell my doctor so he can put me in right hands

[ravenhex in reply to pankajmarwaha]

I would suggest asking your current Dr to have an ultrasound done first. At least with that you can move and in theory it might show what it is causing it. With MRI and a CT-scan you're pretty much stuck in a position. Ct is a bit more forgiving but not that much.

I've now had my neck recently fused with a cage fitted for bone graft as had to have 2 vertebrae removed and both discs. Too say YIPEE! I feel lighter, headaches and pins and needles gone and my hands work and no pain through the entire upper section controlled by the C5& C6 section and my spinal fluid and spinal cord is now free from being crushed.

The clicking I also discovered was the bony spurs snapping off my vertebrae. How true this is but my Orthopedic Surgeon said he's seen a sharp rise of these Osteophytes are bony lumps (bone spurs) that grow on the bones of the spine or around the joints in patients with underactive thyroids. In some of these cases the oesteophytes are causing these odd clicking sounds patients are reporting.

Mine were drilled out on the C4 + C7and removed off the C5 +C6 when they were removed completely from my neck. He said I have them as far up as C1 and all the way down and suspects they are all down the entire spine.

Hope it helps.

[pankajmarwaha in reply to ravenhex]

Thanks i will ask my doctor for ct scan...

[Vindir in reply to ravenhex]

Are you still getting the fizzy rice crispy sensation?

[Chatita-06]

I have a clicking in my neck too, I can feel it in the mornings, but I can feel it by my thyroids. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto and hypothyroidism, will these be the reason of the clicking . As someone mentioned before, could it be that I didn’t y take my synthesis yet . I usually take it in the mornings.

Thanks for all the information displayed in this regard, I will also ask my family doctor about it, but your comments will be very welcomed.

[Needbetterhealth]

Yes I have it, not sure why.

[Amandajane72]

I get it very occasionally. But not so it annoys or worries me.