Massage Lovers - Beware

Subject: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 8:50 am

Singapore banker becomes half-paralysed after neck massage in China ( choose ladies with softer hands )

SINGAPORE - After a particularly painful neck massage, a 40-year-old banker from Singapore suffered a stroke and became a paraplegic consequentially.

Mr Lin claims that his doctors suspect that the excessive force used in the massage broke a blood vessel and resulted in a stroke.

He is now deaf in one ear and is undergoing therapy to regain movement in the left half of his body, Chinese Daily Lianhe Wanbao reported.
According to the paper, Mr Lin is an assistant director of a department in a bank, and was in China recently to visit some friends.

There, he visited a massage parlour to get a foot massage. Upon the therapist's recommendation, he decided to try a neck massage instead.

After the massage, he felt okay. But three days later, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the left side of his head, and woke up to find that his left ear was deaf.

He also couldn't move the left side of his body, and was unsteady in his gait. He recalled: "I felt very afraid. It all happened so fast, it was really like a bolt from the blue."

As he was not in condition to be moved, he could not return home immediately for treatment. Mr Lin was sent to a hospital in Hong Kong and hospitalised for about two weeks until doctors deemed him fit for a flight home. Mr Lin told the Chinese Daily that his doctors suspect that when he underwent the neck massage, the massage therapist tore the vascular wall of an artery accidentally by using too much force.

The damage resulted in the blockage of the artery passage, causing the blood flow to be disrupted.

Recovery

According to his doctors, Mr Lin suffered vertebral artery dissection, which is a flap-like tear of the inner lining of the vertebral artery - a blood vessel that is located in the neck and supplies blood to the brain.

After the tear, blood enters the arterial wall and forms a blood clot, thickening the artery wall and often impeding blood flow. This can result in intermittent or permanent stroke symptoms such as difficulty speaking, impaired coordination and even vision loss.

According to medical resources, it can be caused by physical trauma to the neck, such as a car accident.
Currently, Mr Lin is undergoing treatment at TanTock Seng Hospital's rehabilitation ward.
Last month, he began a "walking" rehabilitation treatment, where he is assisted in walking back and forth along a set path. Doctors said this will help speed up the recovery process.
On August 24, Mr Lin was discharged from hospital. Although he is still easily fatigued, he is now able to walk without the need for crutches.

Other than Mr Lin's case, there have been reports in the media about people who have become paralysed after massages.

In 2006, a woman from Australia suffered a stroke after a company masseur gave her a massage at her workplace.
It is believed that similar to Mr Lin's case, the massage caused a blood vessel in her neck to tear, slowly blocking the blood supply to her brain.

Very real danger

Adjunct Associate Professor Hee Hwan Tak, Medical Director of the Centre for Spine & Scoliosis Surgery - a subsidiary of Singapore Medical Group - toldYourHealth that such a scenario is not only possible, it has happened in Singapore before.
"It it is possible to suffer a stroke if the massage is overzealous and the patient has pre-existing issues," said Prof Hee.

According to Prof Hee, this is because there are vertebral arteries in the neck that travel within a relatively confined space intimately related to the vertebrae.

As such, these vertebral arteries may be injured by excess manipulation of the area. Possible injuries range from blood clots, the clot moving from the neck to the brain, and the dissection of the artery like Mr Lin's case.

"The end result maybe a stroke of the hind brain, leading to giddiness, blurring of vision and even death," he said.
ProfHee warned that people with pre-existing spinal cord compression from herniated discs or bone spurs are also at risk.

He shared that he once came across a similar case where a patient with a pre-existing herniated disc had his condition aggravated by a massage, leading to near paralysis.
In addition to strokes, Prof Hee said overly forceful massages can also result in fractures or dislocations of the spine, especially in osteoporotic patients.

So are neck massages recommended?

Neurologist Dr Siow Hua Chiang told the paper that as the blood vessels at the back of the neck are very small and fragile, it's not recommended to subject the area to excessive force. This includes massages.

However, gentle neck massages done by a trained therapist are fine, ProfHee said.

But note that if the patient has any pre-existing issues, he or she should highlight it before the massage, he said.
In addition, it is best to not take any pain medications before the massage as this may mask the symptoms of pain that could indicate a problem.

Lastly, if the patient feels unwell during the session, this must be brought to the attention to the therapist immediately and the massage stopped at once.

Your Health, AsiaOne

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 8:55 am

haizz... want to change over a new leaf go for proper massage also got risk...

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:25 am

@ Bro TDO, thx for sharing! Sounds scary!

I always requested full force even using elbow for neck n shoulder, coz
it felt really good.

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:49 am

by choosing girls with softer hands, still kena stroke? or if we were to go for a neck massage, choose girls with softer hands is it?

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:36 am

Thanks for sharing TDO... good reminder!
i always wondered if the sudden cracking of the neck vertebra by some experienced masseuse might also cause such injuries...

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:40 am

Erhm...... choose gals who dun use their hands to massage us? lower risk, ya?

Shocked

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:41 am

alvin7379 wrote:: haizz... want to change over a new leaf go for proper massage also got risk...

Whahaha..... Razz

Bro Alvin, think yr old path will b safer. Laughing

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:49 am

bogeyman72 wrote:: Erhm...... choose gals who dun use their hands to massage us? lower risk, ya?

Er........think if uses legs worse lor! Very Happy

Spinal bones all break into pcs.... Laughing

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:45 am

don't use hands or legs lah. ask her to use other softer parts....... Wink

if that part also causes paralysis then ................

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:47 am

LEGS??!?!??!?!!!! I wasn't referring to LEGS..... hahahaha

Laughing

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:48 am

Whether you call it fortunate or unfortunate, I never have any interest in massages and prefer golfing more that anything else, never mind the occasional pains here and there on the muscles. Laughing

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:23 pm

alvin7379 wrote:: haizz... want to change over a new leaf go for proper massage also got risk...

If you pluck a leaf off a tree everytime you say this, i believe the tree is already botak...lol

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:32 pm

bogeyman72 wrote:: LEGS??!?!??!?!!!! I wasn't referring to LEGS..... hahahaha

Tat I like! Laughing

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:04 pm

use boobies la. soft and tender wahahaha. wont cause any injuries

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:45 pm

Yellow card all.... Smile

Please spare a thought for young kids reading the forum. You wouldn't want their mums to complain...

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:22 pm

ha nor. later my mother complain.

Subject: Re: Massage Lovers - Beware Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:20 pm

Noted, thanks for sharing. Next time i will ask those gals to massage softy on my old bones

Very Active Golfer Posts : 554 Join date : 2011-02-10

mUAr_cHEe wrote:: ha nor. later my mother complain.

I complain to your mother.

Newbie Golfer Posts : 55 Join date : 2012-10-02

I think you can check their cert first, make sure they are proper masseur, nowadays got cert for everything Very Happy

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