• Source:JND
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RECENTLY, a 50-year-old woman in Hyderabad suffered from a stroke while having her hair washed at a salon. As per medical professionals, the stroke occurred when the woman bent her neck backwash and meanwhile bending her neck, some essential blood vessels were pressured which caused the stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a stroke occurs when something blocks the blood supply to the parts of the brain which can have long-lasting brain damage or long-term disabilty.

About the incident, Senior Consultant Neurologist, Apollo Hospital, Dr Sudhir Kuamr on his Twitter shared that, "I recently saw a 50-year old woman with symptoms of dizziness, nausea and vomiting, which started during her hair wash with shampoo in a beauty parlour. Initially, she was taken to a gastroenterologist, who treated her symptomatically. Symptoms did not improve, the next day she developed mild imbalance while walking. She was referred for my opinion. She had mild right cerebellar signs.

He also mentioned that "MRI brain revealed an infarct in the right posterior inferior cerebellar territory, MR angiogram showed left vertebral hypoplasia. A diagnosis of beauty parlour stroke syndrome involving the right PICA territory was made. The possible mechanism is kinking of the vertebral artery during hyperextension and turning of the neck towards the wash basin while washing hair with shampoo. She had well-controlled hypertension too,"

What is Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome

Also, known as Vertebro-basilar insufficiency, the beauty parlour stroke syndrome was first introduced by Michael Weintraub in 1993, in the Journal of Americal Medical Association when he observed symptoms of stroke syndrome in some elderly women post shampoo treatment in a beauty parlour.

Referred to as, Salon Sink Syndrome and Salon Wash-basin Syndrome, some common symptoms of this medical condition include facial numbness, dizziness and loss of balance among others. Not just women, but men can also suffer from this syndrome, particularly those who opt for neck massages.

According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, "Women don't have to stop visiting the parlours for massages or hair washing, instead, they can avoid keeping their necks in awkward hypertension. Use of a towel or any support for the neck is suggested."