The common chiropractic treatment for "cracking' the neck by applying thrusts to the area of the spine should be abandoned, according to new research.

The popular chiropractic practice can cause damage to the major neck arteries and therefore carries a low-risk of stroke, researchers say

Researchers have dubbed the technique - which is also used by used by physiotherapists and osteopaths - "unnecessary and inadvisable".

Spinal manipulation can be used to treat neck pain as well as back pain or other musculoskeletal issues.

Cervical spine manipulation focuses on the neck and involves a range of high-speed manual manoeuvres that stretch, mobilise or manipulate the upper spine in order to relieve pain.

Dr Neil O'Connell from the Centre for Research and Rehabilitation at Brunel University, suggests that cervical spine manipulation "may carry the potential for serious neurovascular complications".

The research also says that studies "provide consistent evidence of an association between neurovascular injury and recent exposure to cervical manipulation."

Such injuries include tearing the lining of the vertebral artery, which is located in the neck and supplies blood to the brain, and stroke.

O'Connell and his colleagues referred to a Cochrane review of randomised trials of neck manipulation or mobilization.

These found that, as an isolated treatment, the technique provided only moderate short-term pain relief.

They also highlighted other recent high-quality trials, which suggest that manipulation is no better than other treatments such as physical exercise.

They argue that the risks of using manipulation for neck pain outweigh the benefits.

"The potential for catastrophic events and the clear absence of unique benefit lead to the inevitable conclusion that manipulation of the cervical spine should be abandoned as part of conservative care for neck pain."

The study appeared in the British Medical Journal.