Neck crunching crackling since beginning yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

My mom says her neck is beginning to crackle and crunch with everyday movement now that she’s started yoga. We and some other ladies meet weekly to practice, but we have no formal instructor.

I suspect her posture in certain poses… even easy seated pose might be a cause of it. I need to question her further and check her alignment outside class, but I am looking around today for any ideas or similar experiences.

I told her that I have experienced spinal changes in a positive way. I used to have a protrusion of my spine at the top of the thoracic spine and base of the cervical spine that was getting worse 5 years ago (then in my mid-thirties). Now, at near 40, It is completely gone! Only the natural curve that should be there remains.

I think she may be hyper extending in some way.

Any thoughts?

#2

hello,
i think your mother would benefit from seeing a well-trained Yoga teacher or therapist who has Ayurvedic training. crackling and crushing is often a sign of a vata imbalance. it can also mean that she is causing degenerative damage from wrong practice. it can also mean nothing much at all, but the only way to know what is happening is to have a well-trained teacher or therapist see her and to check her alignment, and if they are qualified, to check other possibilities too. if you have this skill and training, you could do this for her too. if there are no apparent alignment issues and there is pain associated with the noises, i recommend a visit to a orthopedic doc for an evaluation. we need to be gentle, gentle, gentle with our necks.

kind wishes,

#3

For me, cracking and crashing and the associated discomfort was greatly improved by a sugar free diet. I also took glucosamine supplements, but that alone will not help. Sugar must be eliminated entirely.
Second, the practice must be very easy, and restorative in nature, mostly reclined poses, and when one thinks I should do this and that, do only half, both as quantity and effort, but take twice the time. Savasana, extended periods, repeated, especially in the afternoon. Massage did not work for me, it only made the inflamated tissues burn and ache some more. Again, no sugar. Sugar reduces the elasticity of the collagen in cartilages, and other tissues, so it is counterproductive to yoga.

#4

It would actually be quite relevant to identify the sound and its genesis in order to make a determination. cracking and crunching, while both are onomatopoeic in nature they are very different otherwise.

As Nichole points out there are a variety of possibilities. I doubt it is as simple as “her posture” in postures, though that may be a contributor.

How long has she been practicing, what sort of practice, and in what way(s) has she been doing it?

#5

Thanks everyone for your help.

She is 63 and only practices for our hour sessions weekly or less. We rarely venture above beginner level with a hatha or ashtanga style. She is not the type to venture outside of her comfort zone… so I don’t believe it’s from any unusual poses.

#6

Tilting the head back IS hyper extension, presuming one is using the anatomical position as reference.

So we are dealing with a 63 year old female beginner practicing one hour per week and in otherwise perfect physical health. Yet I still do not know the nature of the practice (asana) and I’d wonder (aloud obviously) why such a person would venture into an Ashtanga practice which by it’s very design is meant for teenagers.

Just not enough info for a therapeutic assessment Shelley, especially without the benefit of seeing the student. I am relying solely on the verbal picture being painted.

#7

Okay, I can see I’m going to need to be very specific. When I say Ashtanga and Hatha it is because we have had 2 actual instructors who used to teach this class and were accustomed to these styles. I am not educated in the specifics of how these vary but do know that all poses were always, and continue to be, modified for the beginner. These instructors have moved away and we continue to practice without them. I “lead” the group, but do not call myself a teacher, I just continue with poses as we were all taught and correct alignment as best I know how, also being a nurse this helps. We live in a rural town of 400 people with any yoga classes being 40 miles (or more) away. We always begin with a breathing series. Followed by cat-cow series. Always include a few sun salutations (almost always b) and never with full upward facing dogs, rather we do low cobra or sphinx. We do warriors 1 and 2, triangle with a light angle… no one goes deeply into these poses and they are adjusted to come up on the leg or prop if so. We do lots of utinasina variations (as this is a favorite of the class), a balancing pose such as tree or eagle, a restorative pose such as legs up the wall or supported bridge, and end with shivasina. This is very typical of our practice. I attempt to make a natural flow of these. As I say, I do what I can to assist the others, but we have chosen to continue our practice as a group in this way.