Marcos Jusdado, autor en Marcos Jusdado - Dubai Physiotherapist

Is Cracking Your Neck Bad? The Truth About That Habit

September 18, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

Lots of people crack their own neck. It gives a moment of relief, a satisfying click, and then, often, the urge to do it again an hour later. And somewhere in the back of your mind is the worry: am I damaging something? Here’s the honest answer, and what that urge is really telling you.

What is that cracking sound?

The click isn’t bones grinding or anything sinister. It’s the same thing that happens when you crack your knuckles: a harmless release of gas bubbles from within the joint fluid as the joint surfaces move apart. The pop itself is not damaging your neck.

So is cracking my neck bad?

Occasionally cracking your neck is generally harmless. The click itself doesn’t wear out or injure the joint, so on that level you can relax. But there’s a more useful question hiding underneath, which is why you keep needing to do it.

The real issue: why do you keep wanting to?

The constant urge to crack your neck is usually a sign that it feels stiff and tight, and the crack gives brief, temporary relief. But it doesn’t fix the stiffness, so the feeling returns and you do it again. You’re chasing relief on a loop without addressing the reason the neck feels stuck. That underlying stiffness or irritation is the thing worth treating.

When to be a bit more careful

A couple of sensible cautions:

Avoid forcing very hard, aggressive cranks, especially with a lot of rotation.
If cracking is ever followed by dizziness, visual changes or unusual symptoms, stop and get it checked.

For most people, though, the gentle self-crack is not the problem. The recurring need for it is the signal.

How a physiotherapist helps

Rather than chasing relief with another crack, targeted physiotherapy treatments can find why your neck keeps feeling stiff and address that, restoring proper movement so the urge fades. Most people are surprised how much the constant need to click settles once the underlying stiffness is dealt with.

Frequently asked questions

Will cracking my neck give me arthritis?

There’s no good evidence that the occasional self-crack causes arthritis, just as with knuckle cracking.

Why does my neck feel like it needs cracking all the time?

Usually because it’s stiff, and the crack gives brief relief without fixing the stiffness. Treating that reduces the urge.

Should I get someone to crack my neck for me?

Gentle professional treatment is fine, but avoid aggressive forced cranking. If in doubt, see a physiotherapist.

If you’re constantly cracking your neck for relief, it’s a sign of stiffness worth treating properly. A physiotherapist can settle it so you don’t need to. You can book a session here.

Anxiety and Dizziness: The Two-Way Loop Nobody Explains

September 17, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

Dizziness and anxiety have a complicated relationship. Anxiety can genuinely make you dizzy, and being dizzy, especially when no one can explain why, can make you anxious. Once that loop starts, it’s hard to tell which came first, and each keeps feeding the other.

How does anxiety cause dizziness?

When you’re anxious, your breathing changes, often faster and shallower, which shifts the balance of gases in your blood and can leave you lightheaded. Anxiety also raises muscle tension, particularly in the neck and shoulders, which feeds distorted signals into your balance system. And a stressed nervous system is generally more sensitive, so normal sensations get amplified.

How does dizziness cause anxiety?

Feeling off-balance is unsettling, especially if tests come back normal and no one gives you an answer. People start to anticipate the dizziness, avoid situations that might trigger it, and stay on high alert, all of which keep the nervous system wound up and make the dizziness more noticeable. The loop tightens.

Which came first?

It often doesn’t matter, and trying to pin it down can be a trap. What matters is that there are usually real, physical contributors, such as a tense neck, a breathing pattern, or an under-calibrated balance system, that can be treated. Addressing those often loosens the whole loop, anxiety included.

How can a physiotherapist help?

A physiotherapist can check for the physical drivers: assess and treat the neck, look at your breathing pattern, and run you through a course of vestibular rehabilitation to test and retrain your balance system. Giving the dizziness a clear, treatable explanation is itself calming, and settling the physical triggers reduces how often the loop fires. For the anxiety side, working alongside a doctor or psychologist helps when it’s needed.

Frequently asked questions

Is my dizziness “just anxiety”?

Rarely purely. Even when anxiety is involved, there are usually physical contributors worth assessing and treating.

Can fixing my neck help anxiety-related dizziness?

Often yes. A tense neck feeds the balance system, so settling it can reduce the dizziness and calm the loop.

Should I see a physio or a therapist?

Both can help, and they work well together. A physiotherapist addresses the physical drivers, while a therapist supports the anxiety side.

If dizziness and anxiety have become tangled together, there’s usually a physical thread you can pull to loosen the whole thing. A physiotherapist can help find it. You can book a session here.

Desk Chair and Standing Desk: What Actually Helps Your Back

September 16, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

If your back hurts from work, the internet has an answer: buy a better chair, or a standing desk, and your problems are over. The reality is more useful and a lot cheaper. Equipment can help a bit, but it isn’t the fix people hope for, and knowing that saves you money and disappointment.

Does an expensive chair fix back pain?

On its own, no. A good chair can make sitting more comfortable and support a better position, which is worth something. But no chair undoes the real problem, which is holding any position for hours without moving. You can have back pain in the best chair in the world.

What about a standing desk?

Standing desks are useful because they let you change position, and that’s the key word: change. Standing all day is no better than sitting all day, it just swaps one static posture for another and can cause its own aches. The value is in alternating between sitting and standing, and moving regularly. A standing desk is a tool for variety, not a cure.

The thing that actually helps: movement

Here’s the truth that no product will tell you, because it’s free. The best posture is your next one. Backs don’t like being held still. The single most effective change for a desk-bound back is to move often, a minute or two every half hour, take calls standing, break up the sitting. That beats any chair.

A sensible setup

A supportive chair, hips slightly above knees, back supported
Screen at eye level so you’re not craning forward
The option to alternate sitting and standing if you can
And above all, regular movement breaks

When the setup isn’t enough

If your back still hurts with a decent setup, there’s usually an underlying pattern, weakness, stiffness or an old issue, that equipment can’t fix. A physiotherapist can find it, treat it with postural correction and breathing work, and give you a plan that actually resolves the pain rather than just cushioning it.

Frequently asked questions

Is a standing desk worth it?

For the ability to change position, yes. As a cure on its own, no. Movement is what matters.

What chair is best for back pain?

A supportive one you adjust well, but don’t overspend expecting a cure. How often you move matters more than the chair.

Why does my back still hurt with a good setup?

Usually because of an underlying pattern the setup can’t address. That’s worth an assessment.

If a good desk setup still isn’t fixing your back, the cause is usually elsewhere. A physiotherapist can find it and treat it properly. You can book a session here.

Stress, Shoulders and Neck Tension: Why You Carry It There

September 15, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

“I carry all my stress in my neck and shoulders.” Almost everyone says it, and almost everyone is right. In a high-pressure city like Dubai, tight, aching shoulders and a stiff neck are one of the most common ways stress shows up in the body. Here’s why it lands there, and what actually helps.

Why does stress go to the neck and shoulders?

When you’re under pressure, your body shifts into a subtle, constant state of bracing. The muscles around the neck and shoulders are quick to tense and slow to let go, so they take the brunt. Over a stressful day of deadlines and screens, they stay switched on, hour after hour, and by evening they’re tight, sore and fatigued. You’re essentially holding a low-level shrug all day without realising it.

What it leads to

Aching, tight shoulders and a stiff neck
Tension headaches, referred up from the neck
A clenched jaw, which adds to the headaches
Feeling wired and unable to relax, even when you try

These feed each other, which is why a stressful stretch can leave your whole upper body wound tight.

Why stretching alone doesn’t fix it

Stretching and rubbing the shoulders feels good and helps for a while, but if the tension is being driven by stress and constant bracing, it comes straight back. The muscle isn’t the root problem, the ongoing “switched-on” state is. Lasting relief comes from addressing both the physical tension and the pattern feeding it.

How a physiotherapist helps

A physiotherapist can use manual therapy to release the tight, overworked muscles and stiff joints, and, just as importantly, help you change the pattern: better breathing, regular movement, and simple ways to let the shoulders drop through the day. Where stress is a big driver, this works alongside managing the stress itself. The goal is a neck and shoulders that can actually switch off.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my shoulders feel like rocks by evening?

Because they’ve been subtly braced all day under stress. They tense easily and rarely get told to let go.

Can stress tension cause headaches?

Yes. Tight upper-neck and shoulder muscles refer pain into the head, which is a common cause of tension headaches.

Will a massage fix it?

It helps temporarily. Lasting relief needs the driving pattern addressed too, not just the muscle.

If you carry your stress in your neck and shoulders, there’s a lot that can be done beyond a quick rub. A physiotherapist can help your upper body finally relax. You can book a session here.

Balance Problems and Falls: Why They Start Earlier Than You Think

September 14, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

Most people think balance is something to worry about much later in life. The truth is it starts declining quietly decades earlier, and by the time a fall happens, a lot of ground has already been lost. The good news is that balance is highly trainable at any age.

Why does balance decline?

Balance relies on strength, quick reflexes, good joint movement, and the coordination of your inner ear, eyes and neck. All of these fade gradually if they aren’t used and challenged. A sedentary, desk-based lifestyle, very common in Dubai, speeds that decline up, because you rarely test your balance in daily life.

What are the early signs?

Feeling less steady on uneven ground or in the dark
Reaching for a wall or rail more than you used to
Difficulty standing on one leg, for example when putting on trousers
A general sense of being less sure on your feet

These are easy to shrug off, but they’re an early invitation to do something while it’s still simple.

Why does it matter so early?

Because falls are one of the biggest threats to independence later in life, and the strength and balance that prevent them are built years in advance. Training them in your 40s and 50s is far easier than trying to rebuild them after a fall.

How does a physiotherapist help?

A physiotherapist can measure your balance objectively, find the weak links, whether that’s strength, reflexes, the inner ear or the neck, and build a programme that challenges your balance safely and progressively. If dizziness is part of the picture, that gets addressed too through vestibular rehabilitation, because the two are closely linked.

Frequently asked questions

Can balance really be improved?

Yes, at any age. It’s one of the most trainable and reversible parts of physical health.

I’m not old, is this relevant to me?

Very. The best time to protect your balance is well before you notice a problem.

How is balance tested?

Through simple, specific tasks that challenge your stability under different conditions, along with checks of your strength, neck and inner ear.

If you’ve noticed you’re a little less steady than you used to be, it’s the ideal time to act. A physiotherapist can assess you and build the right plan. You can book a session here.

Functional Neurology for Athletes: Unlocking Performance

September 11, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

Serious athletes and gym-goers eventually hit a wall. The training is dialled in, the effort is there, but a muscle won’t fire the way it should, a movement feels blocked, or a nagging issue keeps flaring. Often the ceiling isn’t your muscles. It’s how your nervous system is controlling them.

Performance is a nervous-system problem too

Strength and power aren’t just about muscle size. They’re about how well your brain recruits and coordinates muscles at the right moment. If the nervous system isn’t switching a key muscle on fully, you lose output and load shifts elsewhere. You can train that muscle all day, but if the signal to fire it is faulty, it stays underpowered.

What functional neurology does for athletes

It targets exactly that signal. By testing how muscles respond and finding where the information is faulty, a practitioner can help the nervous system switch things on properly again. Athletes often describe an immediate difference: a glute that finally fires, a shoulder that feels stable, a movement that suddenly flows. Nothing about the muscle changed, the control did.

Where it helps most

A muscle that won’t switch on despite targeted training
A recurring injury that keeps flaring in the same spot
A strength or speed plateau you can’t explain
Asymmetries, where one side works noticeably better than the other

It works with your training, not instead of it

This is the key point. Functional neurology doesn’t replace strength work, skill practice or conditioning. It removes the neurological handbrake so the training you’re already doing actually translates into output. The best results come from combining the two: fix the wiring, then load it hard.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be injured to benefit?

No. Plenty of athletes use it purely for performance, to unlock a muscle or break a plateau.

Will the changes last?

They hold best when backed up with the right training, which is why it’s used alongside your programme, not as a one-off.

What sports is it useful for?

Any, from golf and running to lifting and team sports. It’s about how you control movement, which matters everywhere.

If your training has plateaued or a muscle won’t fire the way it should, the limit may be neurological. A physiotherapist trained in functional neurology can run a P-DTR assessment to help you break through. You can book a session here.

Sleeping Position and Neck Pain: The Pillow Question Answered

September 10, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

There are few worse starts to the day than waking up with a neck that won’t turn. You slept “funny”, and now you’re paying for it. Sleep and neck pain are closely linked, and while the pillow gets most of the blame, the real picture is a bit more useful to understand.

Why does sleep cause neck pain?

You spend hours in one position overnight, unable to adjust as you would when awake. If your head is unsupported or held at an awkward angle, the neck’s joints and muscles stay strained for hours, and you wake up stiff and sore. An occasional bad night is one thing, but a regular pattern usually means your sleep setup, or your neck itself, needs attention.

Is there a best sleeping position for the neck?

Two positions are generally kindest to the neck:

On your back, with a pillow that supports the natural curve of the neck, not too high or too flat.
On your side, with a pillow thick enough to keep your head level with your spine, not dropping down or propped up.

Sleeping on your front is the hardest on the neck, since it forces your head to one side for hours. If you can gradually shift away from it, your neck will thank you.

What about the pillow?

The pillow matters, but there’s no single magic pillow. The right one simply keeps your head and neck in a neutral, supported line for your preferred position. A pillow that’s too high or too flat forces the neck out of line all night. It’s worth getting right, but don’t expect a pillow alone to fix an underlying neck problem.

When it’s more than the pillow

If you regularly wake with a sore neck despite a decent setup, the sleep isn’t the whole story. There’s usually an underlying stiffness or sensitivity in the neck that makes it vulnerable overnight. A physiotherapist can use manual therapy to treat that, so your neck tolerates a normal night without complaining.

Frequently asked questions

What pillow is best for neck pain?

One that keeps your head level and supported for how you sleep. Height matters more than brand or fancy shapes.

Is sleeping on my front really bad?

It’s the toughest on the neck because it twists your head for hours. Shifting to your side or back usually helps.

Why do I keep waking with a stiff neck?

Often an underlying neck sensitivity plus a less-than-ideal sleep position. Both are treatable.

If you keep waking up with a sore, stiff neck, it usually isn’t just the pillow. A physiotherapist can find and treat what’s making your neck vulnerable overnight. You can book a session here.

Dizzy After a Flight? Travel, Jet Lag and Your Balance

September 9, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

You land in Dubai after a long flight and something feels off. The ground seems to sway, you’re a little foggy, and the unsteady feeling hangs around for a day or two, sometimes longer. For frequent flyers, this can become a familiar and annoying pattern.

Why does flying make you dizzy?

Air travel puts several stresses on the systems that keep you balanced, all at once. Cabin pressure changes affect your inner ear. Long hours sitting stiffen the neck, which feeds your balance system. Dehydration, disrupted sleep and jet lag lower your tolerance. Add the motion itself, and your brain has a lot of conflicting signals to sort out.

What is that rocking feeling after you land?

Some people get a specific after-travel sensation of rocking or swaying, as if they’re still moving, that lasts after they’ve arrived. It usually settles on its own, but when it lingers or keeps happening, it’s worth assessing, because the neck and balance system can get stuck in that pattern.

Who is more prone to it?

Frequent flyers, which is common in Dubai
People with a stiff or overloaded neck
Anyone with a history of BPPV or vestibular issues
Those who are dehydrated or short on sleep

How can a physiotherapist help?

If post-travel dizziness is frequent or sticks around, a physiotherapist can check whether your neck or balance system is holding onto the pattern, use targeted vestibular rehabilitation to treat what’s stiff or under-calibrated, and give you exercises and simple travel habits, like hydration, movement and neck mobility, that reduce how much flying knocks you off balance.

Frequently asked questions

How long should post-flight dizziness last?

Usually a day or two at most. If it lasts longer or keeps recurring, it’s worth getting checked.

Can I prevent it?

You can reduce it. Stay hydrated, move and stretch your neck during the flight, and protect your sleep around travel.

Is it dangerous?

Generally no, it’s your balance system readjusting. Persistent or severe symptoms should still be assessed.

If flying reliably leaves you dizzy and it’s affecting your work or travel, a physiotherapist can help settle it. You can book a session here.

Corporate Wellness for DIFC Companies: Physiotherapy That Works

September 8, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

In DIFC, your team’s output depends on people who can focus for long, demanding hours. But the same desks and pressure that drive performance also drive neck pain, back pain and headaches, and those quietly cost you focus, energy and the occasional sick day. Corporate wellness that’s actually physical, not just a fruit bowl and a step challenge, protects the thing you’re really paying for: sharp, capable people.

The hidden cost of desk-related pain

Most companies never see this on a spreadsheet, but it’s there. An employee with a nagging back or a daily headache isn’t off sick, they’re at their desk at 70 percent, distracted and drained. Multiply that across a floor of people and it’s a real, invisible drag on performance. Being present but impaired usually costs more than the occasional day off.

What effective corporate physiotherapy looks like

It’s practical and specific to a desk-bound, high-pressure environment, built as an executive physiotherapy programme:

On-site or nearby sessions so employees actually use them
Workstation and posture guidance tailored to your office
Workshops on managing neck, back and headache issues, and on movement
Direct access to a physiotherapist for people who need treatment

The point is to catch problems early and keep people moving well, rather than waiting until someone is signed off.

Why it pays off

Healthy, comfortable employees focus better, have more energy, and take fewer sick days. It also signals that you take your people seriously, which helps with retention in a competitive market like Dubai. For the cost of the wellness perks companies already buy, physiotherapy-led support tends to deliver far more that you can actually feel day to day.

Frequently asked questions

Is this only for big companies?

No. Support can scale from a single workshop for a small team to ongoing on-site sessions for a larger floor.

How is it delivered in a busy office?

Flexibly, around your schedule, whether that’s short on-site slots, lunchtime workshops, or nearby appointments.

How do you measure the benefit?

Through simple markers like reduced discomfort, engagement in the sessions, and feedback from the team, alongside the day-to-day difference in energy and focus.

If you’d like to protect your DIFC team’s focus and wellbeing with practical, physiotherapy-led support, it’s worth a conversation. You can get in touch here.

Old Injuries That Never Fully Healed: The Hidden Cause of Pain

September 7, 2026 by Marcos Jusdado

Most people have one. The ankle you rolled badly years ago. The shoulder that was never quite right after a fall. It healed, more or less, you moved on, and you stopped thinking about it. But old injuries have a way of leaving a mark long after the pain has gone, and sometimes they’re behind a problem that seems completely unrelated.

How can an old injury still matter?

When you injure something, your nervous system changes how you move to protect it. You limp, you guard, you shift load elsewhere. That’s smart in the short term. The trouble is that these changes can outlast the injury. The tissue heals, but the altered movement pattern and the nervous system’s protective settings can stay, quietly, for years.

Why the pain often shows up somewhere else

Because the body compensates. An old ankle that never fully recovered can change how you load your knee, hip or back for years, and eventually one of those areas complains. You feel the pain in your hip, but the story started at the ankle. This is why treating only the painful area sometimes doesn’t stick.

Signs an old injury might be involved

A current pain that never fully resolves despite treatment
A history of a significant sprain, fall or injury, even long ago
One side of your body that has always felt different
Recurring problems that keep moving around

How does a physiotherapist address it?

By looking at the whole chain, not just today’s sore spot. A physiotherapist can find the old, under-recovered area, test whether it’s still influencing how you move and how your nervous system is behaving, and treat it directly with hands-on manual therapy. Functional neurology techniques are useful here, because they can update protective patterns the system has held onto. Then movement and strength rebuild the area properly.

Frequently asked questions

Can an injury from years ago really cause pain now?

Yes. The altered movement and protective patterns it left behind can drive problems long after the original injury healed.

How would I know if that’s what’s happening?

A clue is a current pain that won’t resolve, especially with a history of an old injury. An assessment can confirm whether it’s still a factor.

Is it too late to fix an old injury?

Rarely. Even long-standing patterns can usually be changed with the right approach.

If a current problem keeps resisting treatment, an old injury may be quietly involved. A physiotherapist can trace the chain and address the real source. You can book a session here.