Dr. C. Elanchezhian
General Medicine
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I am a 34-year-old male with height 5'10" and weight 170 lb. Last week, when I turned my head to the right, I started to blackout. I have been doing neck stretches, pinched nerve exercises, etc. Ever since with no improvement to the condition, this may be due to golf, or light weight lifting related, but I am not sure as I did not do anything abnormal and there was no pop or any pain afterward.
One key piece of information may be that if someone else turns my neck to the right for me, there are no symptoms. It only occurs when I do it. I was hoping this piece of information narrows it down. It has been one week and a half with this issue. I try to avoid turning my head to the right. I can go 45 degrees without symptoms, but when I approach 90 degrees, the symptoms start. There is no pain and numbness.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
Do you mean blackout as the sudden loss of consciousness? May I know what is the extent of the episode? If you feel blackout when looking up or turning your head, this may be due to pinching of the arteries that are present alongside the spine, called vertebral arteries. This can sometimes happen as a result of changes in the vertebrae.
Pinching of these vertebral arteries can occasionally cause blackouts as the blood flow is temporarily reduced. One condition called cervical rib, here extra rib in the neck area may compress the artery. Some time any lesion in brain clot or ischemia may cause transient ischemic attack (TIA). Better go through investigations such as CT brain, x-ray cervical spine AP or lateral view, FBS (fasting blood sugar), PPBS (postprandial blood sugar test), lipid profile and CBC (complete blood count).
Patient's Query
Thank you doctor,
I do not faint and pass out on the ground. I get the feeling once I hold the position for five seconds. Can you tell why it happens only when I turn my neck but not when someone else turn my neck in the same position? Also, lying down and resting in the same position do not provoke any symptoms.
Based on your experience, would you say the carotid or vertebral artery seems to be affected? My absolute best guess is that I may have unintentionally affected the area while doing those light weight training workouts, specifically shoulder shrugs which frequently causes pinched nerves if not done correctly. But pinched nerves usually cause stiffness and pain, and my condition causes neither. What is the likelihood in this condition will it heal by itself?
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com
Yes, may be your excessive muscle stretches cause pain and stiffness. But here you are having a slight blackout. That means there are some ischemic changes taking place temporally and return back. So we are suspecting some compression on blood vessels while changing neck position around 90 degrees.
If you do the investigations including ECG and record BP (blood pressure), then we can find the cause for ischemia early and prevent neurological problems. Do not worry, if you have any other doubts do not hesitate to call me.
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General Medicine
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