For years, people have been warned about the dangers associated with cracking knuckles. But it turns out that cracking your neck can be a whole lot worse.
Oklahoma resident Josh Hader found this out when he popped his neck -- and then had a stroke. "The moment I heard the pop, everything on my left side started to go numb," the 28-year-old says. "I got up and tried to get an ice pack from the fridge, and I remember I couldn't walk straight." Doctors later discovered Hader had torn his vertebral artery. The resulting stroke left him with vision and balance issues for several days. He also suffered from "painful" hiccups for a week-and-a-half, he says.
Dr. Vance McCollom says Hader was lucky; had the tear resulted in a blood clot, "he could have died." McCollom says the right way to crack your neck is to lean your head to the side. "Don't twist it," he says. "Whenever you twist it, there's a risk of tearing that vessel."
What's the worst you've hurt yourself by doing something insignificant?
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