GUTHRIE, Okla. — A 28-year-old Oklahoma man apparently had a stroke that was caused by popping his neck.
Oklahoma City television station KOCO reports that the act of popping his neck caused Josh Hader to tear his vertebral artery.
“The moment I heard the pop, everything on my left side started to go numb,” Hader told the station. “I got up and tried to get an ice pack from the fridge, and I remember I couldn’t walk straight.”
As traumatic as this incident appears, Hader’s doctor told the station it could have been even worse.
“He could have formed more clot on that tear and had a life-ending stroke,” Dr. Vance McCollom said. “He could have died.”
Hader survived his stroke, but it did cause a lot of damage. He had vision problems for a few days and still struggles to walk. He also reportedly had painful hiccups for 10 days after the stroke.
Thankfully, the stroke wasn’t that significant. But it did cause a lot of damage.
“One of the muscles that goes to his eye is weak. Because the nerve was injured,” McCollom said.
It forced Hader had to wear an eyepatch for several days.
“Double vision,” Hader said. “Blurry vision.”
His doctors decided Hader’s condition was best treated with medicine and physical therapy.
“For the first few days, I couldn’t walk without a walker,” Hader said.
McCollum urges all to remember there is a right way and wrong way to pop your neck. Knowing the difference could save your life.
“If you want to pop your neck, just kind of pop it side to side,” McCollom said. “Don’t twist it. Whenever you twist it, there’s a risk of tearing that vessel.”
