Natalie Kunicki, a 23-year-old paramedic from London suffered a stroke when she cracked her neck and ruptured a major artery. She was watching a movie in bed after a night out and heard a crack after stretching her neck, but didn’t think much about it. When she got up later to use the washroom, she was unable to use her leg and collapsed to the floor.
After calling an ambulance, she underwent some basic tests. Kunicki’s coordination deteriorated, her heart rate and blood pressure spiked and she was rushed to the hospital. The hospital confirmed she had a stroke and made an emergency transfer to a neurology hospital for surgery.
The surgeons repaired the burst artery but were unable to clear the clot in her brain, leaving Kunicki almost totally paralyzed on her left side. She told the Daily Mail that it was “a spontaneous, one a million chance of happening.” (1) She was in shock and says she simply turned her head and felt her neck crack several times.
Our thoughts are with 23-year-old paramedic Natalie Kunicki. https://t.co/frJt0e65sg
— InterAct Stroke (@InterActStroke) April 18, 2019
Kunicki was unable to move her thumb and fingers, lift her arm, or wiggle or bend her toes after surgery, and the doctors gave her a vague timeline for recovery, putting her on light duty for 6 to 12 months. So far she has recovered some movement and sensation in her leg, arm, and hand and says she is determined to get back to work. (1)
Paramedic, 23, suffers a stroke after cracking her neck and mistakes her own symptoms as being drunk: Natalie Kunicki, who works for the London Ambulance Service, stretched while watching films in bed after a night out drinking. A burst artery caused a… https://t.co/vq1F8D95dI pic.twitter.com/Y5NKvTjemA
— RushReads (@RushReads) April 15, 2019
So Is Neck Cracking Dangerous?
Cracking joints seems like an innocuous habit, but there are some reports of an effect on the vertebral artery from neck cracking. One 2011 report says a woman who cracked her neck, or self-manipulated without training, developed a vertebral artery dissection. (2) In other words, after years of cracking her own neck, one woman developed a tear in the vertebral artery in her neck. A vertebral artery dissection occurs when a tear forms in one layer of the artery, causing blood to leak and spread through the layers of the artery wall. The blood collects and forms a clot, which limits blood flow through the artery, leading to a stroke. (3) In this report, the woman developed the tear and clot after years of self-manipulation, which left her with a severe headache, pain, vomiting, and nausea. (2)
But artery dissection is considered rare and only occurs in approximately 1.3 cases for every 100,000 people annually. (4) Neurologists have suggested that chiropractic cervical manipulation could lead to these ruptures and possibly to stroke. (4) There are links between the two, and the more a person is exposed to cervical manipulation, or neck cracking, the higher the risk for VAD and stroke. (4) However, scientists and researchers are hesitant to suggest that manipulation is a cause. (4)
While it sounds terrifying, and the potential effects of neck cracking are real, there are many other things that can also cause a vertebral artery tear or rupture: sneezing, yoga, violent coughing, turning the head while driving, sex, and even kneeling at prayer. (2) The bottom line is, take care of yourself and never assume a major injury or medical condition is not at play due to age.
