Barber’s neck massage sends man to hospital

20 January 2022

Chiropractic Association of South Africa has warned against untrained barbers manipulating muscles and joints in the neck.

It comes after a Phoenix father ended up in the intensive care unit of a Durban hospital after having a hair-cut and neck massage.

Wayne Naidoo, 29, of Sunford, went to cut his hair at a barbershop on January 9. According to his brother, Wenzil Naidoo, after trimming his hair, the barber offered to massage and “loosen” his neck and shoulder muscles.

According to Naidoo, his brother initially felt fine and returned home. But later that afternoon he had pain in his shoulders, neck and head.

“His speech was also starting to slur and his eyes began to twitch. By the next morning, the pain on his shoulder, neck and head had intensified. Later his speech became slurred. My brother went to his doctor, who said the injury to the neck was severe. He was then referred to a hospital in Durban.”

According to Naidoo, doctors did a CT scan, as well as an MRI, and found his brother had damaged a nerve in his neck.

“Wayne was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit although we were told the damage was treatable. He was given schedule six and seven medication to help him cope with the pain. A few days later he was moved to a general ward and on Sunday he was discharged.

“Wayne is still struggling with headaches and pain in his neck and shoulders. The medication is keeping the eye twitch under control. In the coming weeks he will undergo physiotherapy and visit a neurosurgeon for a follow-up examination.

Dr Bridget Bromfield, the secretary-general of the Chiropractic Association of South Africa, said she didn’t know what technique was performed on Wayne.

Adding that chiropractors trained for six years before they were considered qualified in neuro-musculoskeletal medicine which include nerve, muscle and skeletal conditions.

Source IOL

^{Look for Cii Radio on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Tik Tok, Soundcloud & YouTube for more great content.}