Background: Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH), which may develop into an emergency condition, is a rare disease. Here, we present the case of a patient with SEH caused by cervical massage using a commercial massage tool.
Case presentation: A 75-year-old man was brought to our hospital with a chief complaint of posterior neck pain during sleep. He had used a commercial massage tool before going to bed. Upon arrival, hypotension and respiratory failure were observed. His muscle strength in both the upper and lower extremities rated 0 on the manual muscle test, and sensory loss below the papillae was observed. His symptoms resolved spontaneously after 2 h. Magnetic resonance imaging suggested a spinal cord epidural hematoma at the C2/C3 to C3/C4 level. On day 6, the patient was discharged without any impairment.
Conclusion: Fatal complications could occur by cervical massage using a commercial massage tool.
Keywords: complication; epidural; hematoma; massage; spinal.
© 2023 The Authors. Acute Medicine & Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Association for Acute Medicine.