28-Year-Old Suffers Stroke After Popping his Neck

A 28-year-old father from Oklahoma suffered a stroke caused by a torn artery in his neck as a result of popping it. According to media reports, doctors have identified that in the process of popping or cracking his neck, Josh Hader tore his vertebral artery, which led to the stroke. “The moment I heard the pop, everything on my left side started to go numb,” Hader explained to abc13.com. “I got up and tried to get an ice pack from the fridge, and I remember I couldn’t walk straight.”

Following his struggle to walk, Hader’s father-in-law rushed him to the emergency unit. His doctor has stated the symptoms could have been far worse. “He could have formed more clot on that tear and had a life-ending stroke,” Dr. Vance McCollom told abc13.com. Hader could have easily died. For a few days following the stroke, Hader suffered from vision problems, and he continues to struggle while walking. He also had painful hiccups for approximately 10 days following the stroke. The worst part for Hader has been his inability to assist his wife in the care of their youngest child. He expressed his frustration at not being able to pick the boy up out of his crib or give him milk at night.

Photo: Pexels

After sharing the x-rays with the local news station, KOCO, Dr. McCollom noted, “If you have a stroke in that area, you can end up with a patient who’s locked in. They completely understand what’s going on, but they can’t communicate. They can’t move anything. They can’t speak. They can’t breathe.” In other words, Hader can count himself lucky his issues weren’t as severe. “If you want to pop your neck, just kind of pop it side to side,” McCollom told KOKO. “Don’t twist it. Whenever you twist it, there’s a risk of tearing that vessel.”

Photo: Pixabay

Earlier this year, actor Luke Perry passed away from a stroke at the young age of 52. Media reports stated that fans were in shock that this could happen to someone that they considered to be out of the age range traditionally associated with such an issue. But the star of the rodeo classic, “8 Seconds,” filmed right here in Texas, wasn’t any more immune to the problem than someone far younger – as seen with Hader. The influence of age and behaviors on stroke risk can produce significant changes, proving that anyone can suffer such a medical emergency regardless of simple age statistics.