Whiplash/Cervical Strain Question

by Charlie
(USA)

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 2 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 cervical strain. I've been going to orthopedic specialist and physical therapist to get it better; however I have not seen any improvement.

My neck, back, and spine crack all the time such as... when I take a deep breath; move my head, or even when I'm lying down. My upper spine also goes into slight spasms if I workout or lift weights. I have awoken with stiffness in the base of my neck and lower back for the past eight weeks. I never experienced that kind of stiffness before my injury. The stiffness is not as bad as it was I first injured my neck though. I had a CT Scan and MRI, which both showed no signs of misalignment or herniated disks. I believe that I have whiplash/cervical strain with soft tissue damage (just a guess).

Here are my questions:
1. Why is my neck and spine cracking? And what is it actually doing?

2. Is the cracking bad for my neck injury because sometimes the cracking really hurts but mostly it’s just a noise.

3. Should I continue to lifting weights even though my neck and spine keep popping and my neck gets stiff?

4. How long does it take to fully recover from this type of injury, including the regaining my full range of motion without my neck or spine popping? (It has already been eight weeks)

5. Would it help if I wore a neck collar while lifting weights?

6. Will I ever be back to normal again????