Strange "crackling" sounds/sensation at the base o

Hi, I know this post is old now, but I thought I'd throw in my own two cents. I had this same thing after a car accident with whiplash many years ago. My neck was considered "too straight" after that injury, and I noticed this same pop rock sound. My chiropractor, who was excellent, actually had the technical name for it and of course I don't remember. Now it is happening again really badly, so I looked it up to see if I could find the name and I can't find it. But I just wanted to reassure you that it could just be neck strain or neck issues that are fairly common and treatable.  It stopped after I was treated by the chiropractor for a while, so I guess I will be headed back to for chiro care. Good luck everyone!

My husband had the same thing after fracturing his skull and as a result had 2 bleeds,however it turned out as well as the crackling noise and sickness also some dizziness and pins and needles he also had severe de ja vu and it turned out he had vertigo so sounds a bit like ur cases the get it checked ,and not to freak anyone out but he has an abnormal size skull lol and doctors found he had porenchepalic cyst in his brain prob been since birth tht cld b the de ja vu we stil dnt know,anyway its in an inoperable place so we were left with more questions thn answers and nvr been tld if he's a tickin time bomb or not ps there is also a history of anurythms in his family but again we don't know if this is relevant hope it helps x

I have this same noise . It started after I fell skiing going about 50 mph. I had a helmet on but still hit my head really

hard. I talked to a Neuro surgeon who told me it was strained ligaments in my neck and would take several months

to heal. The skiing accident happened in the middle of January 2013.

I have this too!

I'm responding to some rather dated posts, however I would like to share what I have experienced about the gravelly sound or crackling in my neck at the base of the skull. I have had whiplash in the past and have also been getting treatments or adjustments by chiropractors occasionally over the years. Last week I mentioned this sound to my chiropractor and he told me that this gravelly sound was not serious and it would help to take fish oil regularly. I do eat wild salmon up to a few times a month and only began taking fish oil supplements. I do not have pain associated with this condition and am hoping the noise will go away by continuing to take fish oil supplements in addition to a diet of fish once a week.

Glad to find this post.. after having extreme shoulder pain 3 years ago, going to many doctors to get an MRI of shoulder and neck.. the only thing they could supposedly find "wrong" was the Chiari Malformation. Still I am having neck pain- this time due to a fall onto my head and getting the crackling noise (yep, like pop rocks!) in the base of my skull. This post helped me put the two together and I will check more into that. Hurting super bad a few days later and will go to doctor tmro.. guarented they will smile and say "gee i dont know" lol :/ popping 800 mg advil 2x a day and not helping 

I just started with this symptom again today but have had it off and on in the past.  I haven't had any surgeries other than a D & C C in 2010.  I have, however, had a couple of unpleasant experiences with chronic illness (Lyme Disease and a yet undiagnosed issue currently).  The feeling like my head is too heavy for my neck, the crackling (which is both a physical sensation as well as a sound) have repeated off and on.  My guess is that it has to do with some type of infection/inflammation, either of the muscles or nerves.  If you've ever researched copper issues (which is essential in trace amounts), you'll find a TON of information on it, mostly regarding copper toxicity/low zinc levels.  Those two elements see-saw and it's important for many many biological functions to keep them in balance.  Copper/vitamin C/B-6 are implicated in histamine issues and the breakdown thereof.  Zinc/B-6/tryptophan are implicated in immune and mental disfunction, but copper has a role in that as well.  Copper deficiency has also been found to increase degranulation of mast cells if you're familiar with those types of disorders.  Certain medications break down the enzyme in the gut that breaks down histamine as well, and NSAIDS are one of them.  Copper has also been used to aid in inflammation, tends to be higher in women, but levels can drop in both men and women as we age.  And it's not about just what you take in.  It's in what form, what it's taken with, and whether it is properly broken down and assimilated.  The same is true for many if not most other nutrients.  It can get very comlicated.  I've learned a lot and asked a lot of questions over the years, but our bodies and circumstances keep changing.  While the general recommendations of eat healthy, get good quality of sleep and exercise regularly are good general recommendations to maintain health, the meaning of those things (and the elusiveness of them) can vary from one person to another and over different times in life (throw in pregnancy and it REALLY gets interesting!).  I think it's important to be your own advocate and if you can do so without getting overly paranoid, do your own research.  But it's also important to work with a doctor or doctors, especially one with advanced training in diet/nutrition/alternative medicine, who can guide you and order tests that you can't.  The cause of that annoying crackling in the neck is probably something that can have many different causes (like any other symptom - a headache, stomach ache, etc.), and diagnosing and fixing the problem is going to be dependent on you and your individual constitution and circumstances.

Thank you for this Reply. How about if there are other Neuro issues. Like very painful knots in muscles, visual issues including blurry, double and pressure behind eyes. My list goes on and too long, however this lovely new crackling sound is enough to make me nuts with worry. All these symptoms and they come back with vey little. Anyone?

get an mri, mine was followed by pressure behind my eye and wound up being a temporal lobe brain tumor

I am thinking that this is an indication of many possible issues, and lumping them together may not be useful.

I am 57 and for at least 30 years if I rotate my head I get crackling noises from my neck.  Every time I do it.  I have no neck pain, and I am guessing after 30 years no arthritis or serious condition.

I was hoping to find out what it was, but after several sites I think that it could be lots of different things.   Clearly for me it is not a big deal (just weird).  And for others seems like a sign of bigger issues.

I had cervical disc surgery on January 23, 2013. Several months ago I experienced a cracking sound in my neck. It usually only occurs in the evening when I am watching TV. I also have another problem that was diagnosed as Cervical Dystonia which causes my head to move involuntarily to the left. I had this before my cervical surgery, but I was not diagnosed with it until much later. I could not tell if the cracking sound was caused by that or not. However, a friend of mine had cervical disc surgery about a year before me, and she has the same cracking sound, so it must be caused by the surgery. I will be talking to my surgeon next week about this.

I hate how doctors look at you when you try to explain this lol, but I've also tried explaining it as "sounds like a million tiny bubbles travelling up into my head".  Such a weird feeling, and I have chronic migraines but an MRI and X-Rays have all come back normal.  Looking forward to more research being done...

I get this crackling sound too. Sometimes it happens when im not doing anything and seems to happen when I'm hungry. Its a crackling noise that doesn't last too long and sounds like bacon frying if that makes sense. Never any pain, I hear a crackling when i walk but i think that is tight shoulder/neck muscles. Very interested to hear answers on this

I agree with the suggestion of looking for Arnold Chiari Malformation.. I have had these problems and multi symptoms you all are describing.. it took finding the right radiologist to notice the Chiari Malformation that have all my life been causing the headaches, the occasional dizziness, the severe headaches, the squishy crackling sound, the occasional vision distortions  and numbness and tingling etc. "Chiari" is a congenital condition, and the truth is that you can go all your life and not know you have it till a tramatic injury or impact or a health condition or arthritis starts triggering the symptoms  in your head, neck and spine.  The sad truth is that most doctors never suspect Chiari as a reason you are hurting, and they do not test for it either.  The best suggestion that I can make is if any of you have had an MRI at any time in your life you can get a copy of the films and see for yourself if you have the Chiari malformation, then persue it with your doctor for treatment options. 

I have had the exact same thing for the past year. If you find anything that helps, please let me know. I have done x-ray and an MRI and it all looked fine.