‘Hyperextension of neck over salon sink can cause a stroke’

Explained: Beauty parlour stroke syndrome

- Riya Sharma

A hair wash session at a beauty parlour may sound like an ideal way to relax after a hectic week, but a recent trip to the salon almost turned fatal for a 50-year-old woman from Hyderabad. The incident came to light after the doctor treating the woman tweeted about the condition, elaborating that a key vessel supplying blood to her brain was pressed when she bent back her neck for the wash, causing the stroke, which is also known as beauty parlour stroke syndrome.

Dr Sudhir Kumar from Apollo Hospitals Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, in his Twitter thread shared, "I recently saw a 50-year-old woman with symptoms of dizziness, nausea & vomiting, which started during her hair wash with shampoo in a beauty parlor. 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. MRI brain revealed infarct in right posterior inferior cerebellar territory, MR angiogram showed left vertebral hypoplasia... (sic)."

WHAT IS BEAUTY PARLOUR STROKE SYNDROME?

It is a rare condition that could happen to some people when their head is turned backward over a salon sink for hair wash