Most of know that cracking our joints is bad for us, but don’t see it as a big deal. Every day millions of people around the world crack everything from fingers, toes, backs, necks, you name it. You’ve probably been to a party or two where there’s someone in the crowd who “pops” peoples necks and backs for fun. And folks, tend to line up for this free service.
However, that line would probably get much shorter if they heard about what happened to a 23-year-old paramedic named Natalie Kunicki. This young lady found out about the dangers of cracking her neck the worst possible way after one day she stretched and cracked her neck.
The paramedic found herself waking up 15 minutes later, unable to move her left leg.
“People need to be more mindful when doing any chiropractic exercises or strenuous gym weights. I was in bed watching stuff with a friend when it happened. I stretched my neck and I could just hear this ‘crack, crack, crack’. My friend asked ‘was that your neck?’ but all my joints crack quite a bit so I didn’t think anything of it. I just laughed.”
However, when Natalie soon found herself back on the floor after she tried to get up and walk. The paramedic admits that she delayed calling emergency services for a few minutes as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening to her body.
“I’m a paramedic and I didn’t ring 999 for 10 minutes because I thought it was too unlikely it would be a stroke when I should have known much better. Every minute more of your brain cells are dying, so don’t ever discount a stroke just because someone is young.”
Once help arrived, she was taken to the hospital where doctors confirmed via a CT scan that she had suffered a stroke. Natalie said she was “in shock,” in part because she couldn’t believe anyone her age could suffer a stroke just from stretching.
“People need to know that even if you’re young, something this simple can cause a stroke. I wasn’t even trying to crack my neck. I just moved and it happened.”
Her doctors also discovered that a major artery had ruptured in her spine, causing a blood clot to form in her brain, which triggered the stroke. Natalie faces a very long, hard road ahead. She has to complete lots of intense exercises which demand incredible mental fortitude before she can start walking again.
“The doctors told me later that just that stretching of my neck had caused my vertebral artery to rupture. It was just spontaneous and there’s a one in a million chance of it happening.”
Thankfully, her friends at the ambulance service are helping Natalie make it through painful physical therapy while keeping her spirits high when she’s feeling down. Plus, she looks forward to getting back to the work she loves and using that as extra motivation to keep pushing.
“I just love my job and I want to get back to it. I’m so used to being busy and now I feel like I’m climbing the walls a bit. I definitely want to get back to work as soon as I can.”
Unfortunately, Natalie’s doctors were not able to clear the clot in her brain, which means she has only minimal use of her left side. Although, they do expect that the clot will dissolve on its own over time.
And while there is no solid timeline, her doctors do expect Natalie to make a full recovery between 6 and 12 months.
In the meantime, Natalie is using lessons learned from her misfortune to help warn young folks about the risks of suffering a stroke, even at their age.
“I have been called out to so many people having strokes and they’re always in their 70s or 80s. I have never been to a young person having a stroke. Mine was one in a million but a ruptured vertebral artery is actually quite a common cause of strokes in young people.”
Natalie is, without a doubt trying to make the best out of a terrible situation. Let’s all hope she makes a full recovery, as we’re confident that she’s working hard every day to make it happen.
