Thai woman, 20, dies weeks after massages that included neck twisting

A 20-year-old woman in Thailand died after receiving three massages, two of which were neck massages, at a parlour in Udon Thani province, northeast Thailand.

Chayada Prao-hom, a promising young singer, was pronounced dead from a blood infection and brain swelling at about 6am at a hospital in Udon Thani on Dec. 8, according to the Bangkok Post.

She was warded in the intensive care unit before her passing.

The provincial health chief, told reporters on Dec. 9 an autopsy is needed to determine the actual facts of her death.

Excruciating pain after two neck massages and one deep tissue massage

According to Chayada's boyfriend, after her performance on Oct. 5, the 20-year-old asked him to take her to a Thai massage shop in Udon Thani as she was experiencing back pain.

"After the massage, she started to feel numb on one side of her body and couldn’t use her left arm. Later, she couldn’t move at all," her boyfriend told local media.

Fans grew concerned about her condition, and on Nov. 6, Chayada addressed them on her Facebook page.

She explained that she had experienced pain after visiting the same massage shop three times over the course of a month and expressed hope she would recover soon.

On social media, Chayada described her first massage as routine, with only mild shoulder pain afterward.

However, two days later, she began experiencing discomfort in her neck, which she initially thought was a normal side effect from the massage.

She took pain medication to ease the symptoms.

After a week, she noticed numbness in her arm.

Went for massage again after developing pain in body

She revisited the same therapist for a second session, but this time, the neck twisting caused more severe pain and she developed excruciating tightness in her body two weeks later, making it impossible to lie down comfortably.

Despite the pain, Chayada did not think much of it, as her mother was a masseuse and she studied Thai massage since she was young.

She attributed the pain to a common side effect of deep tissue massage.

Went for third session

She decided to go for a third session, which did not involve neck manipulation.

The new therapist, described as having a "heavy hand", applied hard pressure, leaving Chayada bruised and swollen for a week.

She began to experience electric shock-like sensations in her fingertips, along with constant itching, temperature fluctuations, and pain radiating down her leg.

Bending hurt her leg, and the pain spread to her stomach and torso.

Two weeks after the third visit, she lost strength in her right arm and was unable to lift it.

Singer visited hospital when she felt pain in her neck

In an update by Bangkok Post, Chayada visited Piboonrak Hospital on Oct. 30 after her massages to seek treatment for neck pain.

She was then referred to Nonghan Hospital, where she received medication on Nov. 1.

When her condition persisted, she returned to Piboonrak Hospital on Nov. 4, and was again referred to Nonghan Hospital, then to Udonthani Hospital.

Chayada remained at Udonthani Hospital from Nov. 6 to 11, during which time she experienced severe leg and neck pain, leaving her unable to move her limbs.

Examinations revealed that even though she did not have a fractured neck, she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord, according to a doctor, Somchaichote Piyawatwela.

She received medication and was discharged.

According to Bangkok Post, Chayada's condition worsened on Nov. 18.

She experienced increased stiffness and suffered a seizure, prompting her to be rushed to Piboonrak Hospital.

On Nov. 22, she was transferred to the intensive care unit at Udonthani Hospital and passed away on Dec. 8 from septicemia, Somchaichote said.

In response to queries regarding the cause of the blood poisoning, Somchaichote only stated that Chayada had been bedridden for some time and that there were many possible causes.

News of death

The case came to public attention on Dec. 8, when the Drama Addict Facebook page shared a post announcing that Chayada had passed away.

The page shared a warning about the effects of manipulating the neck in search of healing or treatment.

The page also stated that neck twisting is not a part of traditional Thai massage and called on masseurs to stop using this technique to prevent injuries.

Checking for malpractice

Chayada's boyfriend shared with local media that he hopes to take legal action against the massage shop, but admitted that he was not sure if there was enough evidence to do so, the Bangkok Post reported.

According to Somchaichote’s statement on Dec. 9, all seven masseuses working at the massage parlour Chayada visited were licensed.

Experts claim that neck twisting could lead to paralysis

Thiravat Hemachudha, an advisor to the College of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University, warned on Facebook that twisting or flicking the neck during stretching, exercise, or massage could damage the two main arteries supplying blood to the brain: the carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries.

He specifically noted that severing the vertebral arteries could lead to a stroke, which is a common cause of paralysis.

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