Woman Who Routinely Cracked Her Neck to Relieve Tension Suffers Stroke
KayLynne says a habit she had practiced for years led to a medical emergency she never expected. What began as a routine neck stretch after a headache eventually resulted in a stroke that left her temporarily unable to see or speak.
A Common Habit After Headaches
KayLynne explains to People in an exclusive that cracking her neck was something she did regularly whenever a headache started. On Jan. 4, 2023, while driving home from Walmart, she felt another headache coming on and instinctively stretched her neck, turning her head far to the right until she felt a crack on the left side.
She did not use her hands or apply force, despite what some people later assumed on an online forum. At the time, the movement felt harmless and even relieving.
Pain That Didn’t Feel Normal
Almost immediately after cracking her neck, Felthager felt sharp, severe pain radiating down her neck. Unlike previous discomfort she had experienced, this pain did not fade. Over the next several days, she struggled to move her head and relied on over-the-counter pain medication to manage it.
Despite the lingering pain, she continued with her usual routines and family plans, sensing that something was wrong but not realizing how serious the situation was becoming.
Vision Loss and Alarming Symptoms
On Jan. 9, the symptoms escalated. While sitting at the kitchen island and doing her makeup, Felthager suddenly experienced a bright, blinding light in her right eye, followed by a complete loss of vision on that side.
After about 15 minutes, her vision returned. She assumed another headache was starting, but she still felt off and mentioned her concern to her husband as they drove into town.
Numbness and Trouble Speaking
Soon afterward, the right side of her body began to tingle and then went numb. The sensations were confusing, but the most frightening moment came when she tried to speak and realized her words came out as incoherent sounds.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, her husband immediately drove her to the emergency room.
Emergency Room Chaos
Once at the hospital, Felthager was rushed through emergency procedures. She recalls nurses starting an IV and being taken for a CT scan with contrast, while much of the experience remains a blur.
Amid the chaos, she remembers focusing on a single word as everything else felt out of reach. She repeatedly thought of God as doctors worked quickly around her.
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