Man Gets Neck Massage at Barbershop, Suffers Breathing Difficulties & Gets Hospitalised

You must admit that head and neck massage services offered at barbershops can be the best form relaxation! 

However, did you know that there is a risk that awaits you from getting such massages? For those who don’t know, the consequences might even lead to serious injury and possibly permanent disability.

In a viral post on a Facebook paged named Public Health Malaysia, a man was hospitalised after he sustained serious injuries from receiving a head and neck massage at a barbershop.

The incident, which happened in India back in 2017, involved a man named Ajay Kumar, who was 54 years old at the time. Ajay visited the shop for a haircut and received a relaxing massage. After leaving the barbershop, he started having serious breathing difficulties, as reported in the Times Of India. 

The victim was later rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

For illustration purposes only | source: all india times

After undergoing an MRI, the scan revealed that Ajay had serious injuries to his neck, which damaged the phrenic nerve (a nerve that controls the diaphragm, an essential muscle involved in breathing). 

Ajay was hospitalised and was put under mechanical ventilation.

For illustration purposes only | source: deals lama

“He has been put on non-invasive ventilation for breathing support and may continue to be on it,” said Dr Anand Jaiswal, Director of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Medanta, a medical institute in New Delhi.
The doctor said that Kumar’s diaphragm was completely paralysed and that he may need ventilator for the rest of his life because the nerve rarely generates spontaneously.

Dr Anand also advised people getting head and neck massages at barbershops to be extra careful, saying,
“The neck massage and neck-crack that hairdressers ritually perform after a haircut can cause long-term damage to neck joints’ surrounding tissues, muscles, nerves or even cause bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis like this mentioned case.”

For illustration purposes only | source: getty images

What do you have to say about this incident? Have you experienced any discomfort after getting a massage at the barber’s? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!

Also read: 25yo Woman Suffers Seizure & Loses 6-Month Foetus After Going for Thai Massage