Young Thai singer dies after getting neck-twisting massages

Thai country singer Chayada Prao-hom has passed away following three massage sessions to alleviate shoulder pain.

The Bangkok Post reported that the 20-year-old singer suffered from a blood infection and brain swelling and passed away at around 6 a.m. in an ICU in Udon Thani, a city in the northeast of Thailand.

Last Oct. 5, Chanyada's boyfriend took her to a massage parlor in Udon Thani after she complained about a backache.

“After the massage, she started to feel numb [in] half of her body and could not use her left arm. Later she could not move her whole body,” the boyfriend, whose name was withheld, said.

In the weeks before her death, Chayada detailed the incident on social media as a warning to her fans, saying that a massage therapist gave her a "neck twist" on two different visits.

After the first visit, she began to experience severe pain at the back of her head and numbness in her arm.

Two weeks after the second session, her entire body became painful and stiff, making it impossible for her to turn in bed.

However, Chayada thought it was just a normal side effect from the message.

“My mom is a masseuse and I studied Thai massage since I was a kid. I love massage so much and so I don’t have any suspicion just yet. I thought this (the full body ache) was simply an effect from me getting the massage again,” she wrote.

During her third visit, a masseuse with a "heavy hand" caused significant bruising and swelling on her body. She took painkillers, but she continued to suffer from tingling sensations in her fingers.

The numbness worsened, extending to her torso and significantly limiting her mobility. Over the next month, she was unable to move more than 50% of her body.

Chayada said she wanted her story “to be a lesson for those who like being massaged a lot.”

“I must recover. I want to work already,” Chayada wrote.

Chayada's boyfriend revealed that she had considered legal action against the massage parlor but was unsure if she had sufficient evidence to proceed with a lawsuit.

Following this, authorities are investigating the death but confirmed that the parlor and masseuses were licensed.

"At present, Thai massage has been applied by some practitioners using various techniques, thereby falling below standards or leading to a service that might cause injury,” said Arkom Praditsuwan, deputy director-general of the Department of Health Service Support (HSS).

In a similar story, a Singaporean tourist died shortly after a body massage in Phuket last Saturday.

52-year-old Lee Mun Tuck received a 45-minute oil body massage on the beach. Following the session, he stopped breathing. His wife does not suspect foul play and stated that her husband had underlying health issues.

Public health warnings issued

In response to the news, professor and neurologist Thiravat Hemachudha, advisor to the College of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University, warned on Facebook that twisting the neck or massaging the cervical spine could lead to paralysis.

If done the wrong way, they could “increase the risk of harm to the blood vessel walls that supply the brain, especially the back, tearing and causing brain tissue death, hemiplegia, paralysis”.

“The danger will increase in tandem with the force of the twisting, flicking or circling one’s head. Repeating these activities for a long time will not only create problems for the nerves but also the blood vessels at the neck,” Thiravat said.

He added that "shaking the neck violently, twisting the neck, and exercising regularly can cause harm."

Thiravat also stressed that neck twisting can affect the back of the brain, which controls vision, balance, and various bodily functions like movement and sensation. The severity of the symptoms depends on how hard or how often it is done.

Individuals with obesity or high blood pressure are at risk of stroke-induced paralysis.

To relieve the pain by yourself, Thiravat said to "straighten your neck, face straight, push your head against your palms in 4 directions, left, right, front, back equal to 1 round, push hard, push long, do 10-20 rounds a day, anytime."

He noted that this exercise helps adjust the structure of bones, keeps tendons in place, and makes the neck muscles stronger.