"Neck cracking treatment can lead to stroke"

Pointing out that neck cracking treatment, which is applied in many places recently, can lead to stroke, Turkish Society of Interventional Radiology (TGRD) and 19th Annual Meeting of the Turkish Society of Interventional Radiology Congress Secretary General Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan said, “We also see tears in the inner tissue of the vessels in people who jump into water from a height due to hitting their necks.

These types of movements are quite dangerous. Professional physiotherapists sometimes perform maneuvers on the neck; it is very important that this work is done by such people,” he said.

Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan stated, “The most common form is accompanied by a brain hemorrhage, which we call hemorrhagic stroke. Patients experience loss of consciousness, and they are admitted to the emergency department with this loss of consciousness.

The second occurs as a result of blockage by a clot, which is the exact opposite of brain hemorrhages. It is a state of paralysis; both brain hemorrhage and blockage of brain vessels can lead to paralysis,” he said.

"EXTERNAL FACTORS CAN ALSO LEAD TO STROKE"

Stating that stroke is seen more frequently in advanced ages, Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan said, “It appears more frequently in those over the age of 60. There are some factors that cause this; conditions such as familial vascular disease, heart rhythm disorders, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure can lead to such problems.

The cases we need to treat very rapidly are paralysis conditions caused by the blockage of brain vessels. There can also be external factors that lead to stroke.

Sometimes, tears in the inner wall of the vessels that go from the neck to the brain, which occur after trauma, progress to the brain vessels with the sudden formation of a clot in that area. There are even cases in the literature where we see such effects in the neck vessels of people who turn their necks hard and quickly,” he said.

DANGEROUS MOVEMENTS

Pointing out that neck cracking treatment, which is applied in many places recently, can also lead to this, Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan included the statement, “This can sometimes lead to tearing in the neck vessels. We also see tears in the inner tissue of the vessels in people who jump into water from a height due to hitting their necks during sudden neck movements. These types of movements are quite dangerous. Professional physiotherapists sometimes perform maneuvers on the neck; it is very important that this work is done by such people.”

EXPLAINED THE CRITICAL TIME FOR CORRECT INTERVENTION

Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan gave the following answer to the question about how stroke is treated:

“We know that the critical time for the correct intervention for the patient is approximately 6 hours for anterior brain circulation and 8 hours for posterior brain circulation. This has changed slightly; we have managed to extend the times a bit with different technological methods. We compare how much of the brain circulation has actually died and how much we can recover if blood is sent back.

We can do these with MRI or tomography. After comparing these, if there is an area in the brain tissue that we can save, we definitely take it into treatment. The earlier, the better. The Ministry of Health has a shift system in hospitals regarding this. 112 personnel know which hospital to take the patient to,” he said.

Stating that there is no surgical treatment for stroke, Prof. Dr. M. Koray Akkan said, “Surgical intervention can be performed in patients with hemorrhage. In the long term, if nutritional deficiency will affect certain areas after the blocked vessel is lost, there are bypass treatments from the scalp into the brain, although they are limited.

In the actual emergency period, the only treatment to save the patient from a paralyzed state is to enter with an interventional radiological method and remove the clot. Stroke has some very classic symptoms; everyone should know these. There is definitely a shift in the facial grooves, speech is impaired as the mouth pulls to one side, and an arm on one side of the body may become non-functional. In these cases, one should suspect a stroke and the patient should be taken to the emergency department quickly,” he said.

News Source: İHA