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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
By voluntarily cracking his cervical vertebrae every day, 53-year-old Australian Andy Wilson caused a stroke. An extremely rare accident, but which exists, recalls doctor Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
It’s a routine that almost killed him. Andy Wilson, a 53-year-old Australian, has got into the habit of cracking his cervical vertebrae since childhood. A daily practice that allows him to relieve his back pain.
A cracking… and strange symptoms
To crack his neck, the Australian artist performed a simple manipulation, once or twice a day, by brutally turning his head from left to right, according to the advice of a chiropractor.
But last March 5 is one time too many. “I was in front of the television. After cracking my neck, I started to hear “gurgles”, it was really weird. And then my hand started moving on its own” reports the 50-year-old Sun. “I didn’t feel well, I had to lie down; I was sweating, I was nauseous, my vision was blurred, I couldn’t see anything on the left side, I had a feeling of pressure in my head , I was losing control of my movements…“.
A stroke triggered by these cervical manipulations
Once taken care of by the emergency services, the doctors question the man. “IThey asked me if I had hurt my neck, so I talked about my daily habit. A doctor then told me never to do that again.”
Indeed, by performing these cervical manipulations daily, Andy Wilson managed to create a stroke. “The doctor explained to me that by dint of cracking my neck, calcium deposits had formed in my spine. This caused the rupture of an artery, the arrival of three blood clots in my brain, and eventually a stroke”. After four days in intensive care at the hospital, he was able to return home with a total ban on reproducing this type of gesture.
The explanation of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo
“By performing these daily cervical cracks, this man managed to tear an artery. This arterial dissection led to a stroke which affected the vertebro-basilar territory. A stroke can also occur, following this type of manipulation, by detaching a plaque of atheroma from the artery: it will then be an ischemic stroke, the plaque coming to block a vessel in the brain. So beware of this type of extremely rare accident, but which does exist and which can occur during the practice of violent sports. In addition, vertebral cracks can also damage the bones. And of course, in the event of serious symptoms reminiscent of a stroke, you must call the emergency services by dialing 15 to be taken care of urgently.“.