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Stretch your neck muscles. Mobilize your neck in all directions. Strengthen your neck muscles.

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Tight neck muscles is a reason some people try to crack their neck, likely in efforts to reduce the tension and discomfort they feel. Instead of trying to constantly release the joints of your cervical spine, gently stretch your neck muscles, which might alleviate your neck issue and eliminate the urge to crack it. Use slow, steady movements and take deep breaths during your stretches. In general, hold stretches for about 30 seconds and repeat 3-5x daily.  Stretching directly after a warm shower or the application of moist heat is recommended because your neck muscles will be more pliable. While standing, reach around your back with your right arm and grab a little above your left wrist. Gently pull on your left wrist while laterally flexing your neck in the opposite direction, such that your right ear approaches your right shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds, then do the other side. If your neck is stiff and has poor range of motion, then maybe the problem is more joint related. In this case, trying to crack (or unjam) your neck joints is certainly warranted, but typically the stiffest joints don't release with self manipulation. Instead, the joints above and below the stiffest joint keep cracking, which may make them a little too loose (hypermobile) and unstable over time.  Start with moving your head in circles, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, for about 5-10 minutes each way. You may hear some clicks, cracks and pops in your neck, but focus on the movement and not the sounds. Target the main movements of your neck: forward flexion (looking down at your toes), lateral flexion (ear towards your shoulders) and extension (looking up towards the sky). Go as far as you can in each of the four directions about 10x daily. After a week or two, you should notice an increase in range of motion, which might negate the desire to constantly crack your neck. Strengthening the muscles of the neck is good for stability. Muscles are not only for movement, but they are also important for providing protection and stability to the bones and joints that lay underneath them. Weak neck muscles increase the amount of instability in the cervical spine, which might trigger the desire to crack the spinal joints. Consequently, strengthening the cervical muscles may diminish the desire to crack them.  Tie an elastic exercise band around your head and attach it to something stable that's at the level of your head. Walk a few steps away from it until you feel tension in the exercise band. Then do the four main neck movements (flexion, extension, right / left lateral flexion) under tension 10x each on a daily basis. After a week or so, change to a thicker exercise band with more tension. Alternatively, see a physical therapist, who can show you specific and tailored stretches and strengthening exercises for your neck.