Question: I am a male 5'7, 33yrs old, and 170lbs. I have never had any kind of neck or back injury before. I sprained my neck about 3 months ago while lifting my wife on my shoulders. She weighs about 155lbs. She started swaying back and forth on my shoulders... which caused me to acquire a slight cervical strain. I've been going to orthopedic specialist and physical therapist to get it better; however I have not seen any improvement in over 11 weeks. I also had several XXXXXXX tissue massages that did not help either. Actually, my symptoms have gotten worse. My spine and neck crack more frequently, I tend to lose my balance very easily, one side of my body goes numb when I lay down at night, and I have consistent numbness and tingling in my feet and hands throughout the day.

My neck, back, and spine crack/pop between 8-10 times hourly such as... when I take a XXXXXXX breath; move my head, or even when I'm lying down. The spinal crepitus occurs even more when I am performing any type of activity. It almost feels like my vertebrae are out of place or something. My upper spine and lower back also go into slight spasms if I attempt to workout or lift weights. I have awoken with stiffness in the base of my neck, upper, middle, and lower back for the past eleven weeks. I never experienced that kind of stiffness or popping in my spine prior to my injury. I had a CT Scan and MRI three months ago, which both showed no signs of misalignment or herniated disks. However, my symptoms have intensified since then. My spine and neck crack more frequently, I tend to lose my balance very easily, one side of my body goes numb when I lay down at night, and I have consistent numbness and tingling in my feet and hands throughout the day. I believe that I may have spinal instability or spinal misalignment caused by extremely tight back muscles (just a guess).

Here are my questions:

1. Why are my neck and spine constantly cracking/popping and what can I do to prevent or improve my condition?

2. Could my spine be misaligned because my back muscles are in a spastic state?

3. Would it be beneficial for me to contact a Chiropractor regarding a spinal adjustment or are my symptoms related to muscle damage?

Thank you for your response. My follow up question is:

1. Would prolotherapy be alternative solution to help joint instability within my neck, upper back, and lower back?

2. Would prolotherapy be safe and effective even if I have "spasm of the neck muscles due to irritation of the spinal nerves exiting the cord."

Thank you. You have been a very big help. More than you will ever know