Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 5/6/2010

Question
Please when i breathe in deeply i hear crack sound in my spine at my back. Some times when i relax i hear that my spine is cracking. It is not painful though but it keeps me worried and i dont know what is. Sometimes when i breathe in deep i feel some sharp pain at my lower left chest as if some has chooked me. What is wrong with me

Answer
James,

It is impossible to provide you with a diagnosis over the Internet. I recommend that you see a qualified health care practitioner for evaluation as soon as possible.

In general, "cracking" in any joint is often a sign of crepitation, which is the noise produced by rubbing bone or irregular cartilage surfaces together, such is in some types of arthritis.

Pain in the back that is sharply worse with breathing may indicate a displaced rib head, which can be easily manipulated by a chiropractor.

In the absence of a musculoskeletal cause of such symptoms, additional medical evaluation would be needed to rule out an underlying medical pathology.

I hope that this helps to answer your question.