Indian man suffers a stroke after neck massage

It’s enough to make you avoid seeing your chiropractor completely.

An Indian man suffered a stroke after enduring a rough neck massage, a bizarre new case report has revealed.

Doctors believe the unidentified patient’s love for being caressed may be to blame for the blood clot in his brain.

Medics have spoken of the incident in the prestigious BMJ Case Reports, citing the ‘repeated’ massages to be the ‘trigger factor’. 

The 45-year-old, believed to be from Ludhiana in Punjab, revealed he had between two and four massages each week.

Doctors at Dayanand Medical College & Hospital were told the patient’s obsession was due to ‘relaxation purposes’.

He was rushed to the hospital with sudden onset aphasia – language impairment – and weakness of both lower limbs.

The patient was also mute and was unable to make decisions on his own, prompting doctors to be concerned he suffered a stroke. 

But the patient had ‘no significant medical history’ and no risk factors that made him more likely to have a stroke.

Tests revealed the patient suffered an anterior cerebral artery infarction. The major vessel transports blood to the frontal lobes.

Common causes tend to be a ruptured aneurysm which stops the flow of blood to the brain, or a potentially fatal clot.

However, cervical spine manipulation in the form of neck massage is a little known mechanical trigger for cervical artery dissection.

This involves a tear in the artery lining and formation of an intimal flap, which allows penetration of blood between the vessel layers.

This results in arterial narrowing or even complete obstruction of the lumen, leading to a lack of blood flow to the brain.

The strange case was reported by Dr Jaslovleen Kaur, of the hospital’s department of neurology.  

Writing in the journal, she said: ‘In view of the repeated cervical spine manipulation, we consider the chiropractic neck massage to be the trigger factor.’

The patient is now believed to be on the road to recovery.