A trip to the ER is typically not what comes to mind when thinking about massages, but that’s unfortunately what a Pennsylvania college student ended up with after visiting the spa. Under the username Equal-General-4463 on Reddit, the 23-year-old student made a post in r/legaladvice titled, “Went in for a massage and now I’m in the hospital.” It all began when they went to a spa for Swedish massages they claim they’ve had before. However, “This massage was completely different,” they recalled.
Equal-General-4463 says that the massage was unexpectedly “more aggressive than anything I’d had before.” The therapist was using excessive force on their neck and also performed the very risky neck jerk move that often gets attention in online videos. At the time, OP said they “left feeling extremely sore” but thought the soreness would abate after a bit.
“Instead, my neck became really stiff, then I started getting migraines,” Equal-General-4463 says. Once they started losing parts of their vision, they had a visit to the ER. Now, the doctors have diagnosed them with a cervical artery dissection, a dangerous injury involving a tear inside of one’s neck that can lead to a stroke. “Before this massage, I was healthy and had no neck problems,” OP lamented.
As a college student, Equal-General-4463 says they have no way to cover their medical bills, so now they’re seeking legal recourse against the spa that allegedly did this to them. First and foremost, Redditors in the post’s comments recommend OP get a lawyer, the bare minimum to get started on any sort of serious medically related lawsuit like this.
“Even if you signed a standard liability waiver before your massage, those intake forms almost never protect a business against gross negligence or unsafe physical maneuvers like unprompted neck cracking,” wrote a commenter. As to whether the spa business would be able to cover medical expenses, another person added that massage therapists are legally required to carry liability insurance for such injuries.
Reddit Questioned the Qualifications of the Therapist Who Injured the College Student
“A massage therapist is not qualified nor is it in their scope of practice to do spinal adjustments!” exclaimed a user claiming to be a certified nurse. Others agreed, pointing out how this should only be done by a licensed chiropractor or physical therapist.
OP has yet to provide an update on their plans for legal action against the spa in their post. That being said, their story is a good warning that when a random massage therapist gets a little rough and attempts to do the snapping neck twist maneuver, it might be a good idea to decline.
